Tales of the Emotionless King
by Fire Inu Princess
Summary: Inko is a slave bought for Toshinori, also known as the Emotionless King. Yet, is he really? It seemed that she could read his eyes while no one else can. Though what makes matters worse, she falls for two men, and is the king's personal maid. Why couldn't her life be that of a normal slave instead of dealing with complicated emotions?
1. Slaves

She knew from the moment that she was born that she would be used as nothing more than a slave. That her whole life, she would have to live her life to serve another. Then some day in her life that she would have to produce a child to continue her line. The way of quirks, those who have quirks were either sent to join the army at a young age, trained by an amazing guard or to be sent as slaves should their quirk not be fit for war.

Why that was though, the young woman never understood. All she knew, was that she had a quirk that was not meant for war. After all, how can a quirk that is only meant to attract things to her be fit for anything if she couldn't even lift the item herself?

Looking around the room, there were many slaves. Men, and women both in ragged clothes and had chains around their wrists, necks and ankles. It made her wonder if she would ever be free from such a life. A life as this, there had to be another reason for this. There had to be a reason for the way their lives were the way they were.

"Inko, what do you think is going to happen to us?" asked a woman next to her. Inko turned her empty green eyes at the ash blonde next to her. The woman had a youthful appearance, her eyes red as crimson was filled with concern yet, Inko knew her better than anyone in the world. Her best and only friend.

"I do not know Mitsuki. But I know that we are to be careful. You more than anyone, you bit your last master." Inko whispered softly.

"He had it coming, he tried to feel me up." Mitsuki said with a glare.

Inko shook her head a little at her friend that was to be expected. Most masters only got slaves for a few things. Which was either to cook, clean, or for sex. It was a feeling that Inko herself knew that she never wanted out of her life, but she knew that she couldn't change her fate. After all, fate was a rather fickle thing, she knew that better than anyone.

After all, it was fate that took her family, fate that gave the world quirks and fate that made only those without quirks to rule as there was more people without quirks than with.

Sighing softly, she reached up, the sound of her chains rattled as she ran her hand through her dirty, muddy and matted green hair as she winced. It was hard for slaves to stay clean, as their masters never allowed them to bath unless they were tired of the smell. It made Inko wonder who it was that bought them this time, it had to be someone powerful after all, someone who had a lot of gold to throw around as if it was an afterthought to buy as many slaves as they had.

"I just hope this one will be better." Mitsuki said with a frown, causing Inko to nod her head a little. Yes, she knew what would happen should Mitsuki be forced to raise her hand again. Yes, they were best friends, but even Inko had her limits with how much she could help her friend. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but it was that even she was running out of ideas and reasons to use to save her friend from such a fate.

For if Mitsuki shows another act of violence toward her master, then they would kill her.

That was something that she didn't want, but knew that she had to think of something before it would happen again. "Mitsuki, you just have to be careful. You can't just keep lashing out like you have been, what if they decided to finally kill you to save them the trouble?" Inko pointed out with a frown on her face.

"I know that, but I still can't just allow anyone to touch me. I want someone with passion, someone who isn't afraid to show me their kind side and their rougher side." Mitsuki said with a dreamy smile.

Inko could only shake her head. It was as if her friend was stuck in some kind of romance delusion. There was no way that she could allow herself to fall into such a delusion. It was impossible for her to find love anyway, she knew that. A slave, they didn't love one another, but only had children so their line could go on. There was never any 'love' involved. That much she knew better than anyone.

It was like that with her parents, and it was going to be like that for her of all people.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman looked around at the other slaves once again. All of them, well most of them were huddled up for warmth. The men, of course trying to protect the women as if they were the true treasure in this place. Yet, Inko wondered if there was something more to it than that. There had to be something more to it, but who was she to judge? It wasn't as if she could point out to them that they were being silly, that it didn't matter if they could try to protect each other, it wouldn't work.

They would only be overpowered in the end.

Closing her eyes, the young woman sighed as she frowned, looking around as if she was trying to find some kind of means of escape, but it seemed that it would be useless as well. No matter what, they were trapped, and she wouldn't be able to get out of here. No one could, and they would be stuck with a new master. "Inko, what are you thinking?" asked Mitsuki.

"About how we'll never get out of here. No matter what, we can never escape our fate as slaves." Inko whispered softly before opening her empty green eyes as she looked over at her friend and gave her a small sad smile.

It was in that moment though, that the door was slammed open. Everyone in the room, well everyone other than Inko, had nearly jumped out of their skin. Blinking her green eyes up at the door, she saw a man in black robes as he looked over at all the slaves in the room. Inko already didn't like the feeling that she got from this guy, it just seemed as if he was glaring at everyone in the room.

"So, these are the new slaves I see. Not as… expected." The man mumbled before shaking his head and looked at all the slaves in the room. "I'm sure his majesty will be pleased though to have some interesting slaves though I must say, if you all mess up that you shall be punished." He said with a twisted smirk on his face. It made Inko wonder what it was that he was trying to insinuate.

Mitsuki glared at the man, Inko had to gently pat her arm to get her to calm down. The man wasn't going to do anything, it was whoever he worked for that would be able to harm anything.

"Though, a lot of you aren't very impressive looking. We'll have to test out your quirks later to see what you are best suited for in the castle." Inko frowned a little as she stared at the man as he hummed to himself, going through some papers as if he was going through some mental processing of where to place the slaves.

"I do have some of your quirks written down here, according to the man who had sold you to my king but it seems that all of them aren't here as some of you do not demo straight your quirks to past masters."

Inko wanted to glare at the man, hoping that her quirk would have switched for her to the point that she could burn him to ashes. Though, she knew that sadly she couldn't just get a new quirk like that. It wasn't possible. It seemed as if it was something that was never meant to be.

"What is taking so long in here?" asked a new voice, causing everyone to look up in shock. Walking into the room was a large man in height, he had a golden breast plate with a dark blue cape that shrouded his shoulders and arms from view. His hair, blonde with two long locks framing the sides of his face. Skin was a little tanned though not overly so. Looking down at the rest of his outfit, she saw that he had on dark blue pants with black boots that clicked as he walked over to the man.

Yet, it was his eyes that Inko noticed most of all. Eyes, a bright blue that seemed to spark like a thunder storm. Even though his face, showed no emotion whatsoever, but it was his eyes that told her everything. Deep in his eyes, he held a great sadness to them. A loneliness that no one could truly understand.

Why did he look like that?

"Your majesty! I didn't think you'd come down here!" The man said with a nervous look on his face.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long so I decided to come down." The man said, his voice sounding anything but pleased.

"I was just giving them their orders for when they arrive at the castle." The man said with a nervous chuckle.

The king turned his blue eyes onto the slaves. His gaze sweeping them up in a single glance until his eyes land on her. Inko blinked as she stared at the king, he just seemed to be… staring at her. As if trying to look into her very soul. What was he doing? Why did he keep staring at her like that? Inko tore her gaze away as she turned to her friend and saw her friend gazing at her as well. "He was staring at you Inko." Mitsuki said with a confused look on her face.

"Take them to the castle, make sure that they are bathed and fed before assigning them to their jobs." The king said softly.

"But King Toshinori, they-"

"Are you questioning my authority?" The king said with his gaze on the man, even though the king didn't change his expression, it was the aura he gave off that changed drastically.

"No sire!"

"Then do not question me." The king said before he looked at all of the slaves once again. Inko looked a little nervous around the king, but at the same time she couldn't help but look at his eyes. They still showed signs of sadness, even with his tone of voice sounding anything but happy or anything really. It was as if he couldn't speak with emotions. "Take them to the castle, then assign them to their jobs once they have been fed and changed into proper attire. Do not fail me." With that, the king took one last glance at Inko before he started to walk away.

"That was odd, he just kept staring at you." Mitsuki said with a frown on her face.

"It was odd, I don't know why that is but… didn't he look sad to you?" Inko asked her friend.

"What?"

"He looked sad, his eyes looked so sad and lonely." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"I didn't see anything like that." Mitsuki said with a frown. Inko couldn't help but feel rather confused. Her friend didn't see it? Or was it that she couldn't see it? It was rather strange that she herself, could see it but no one else could see what was flashing in the king's eyes. It just didn't make sense to her, though she knew that she still had to be careful around the king should she ever be around him. He was strange yes, but why didn't he show emotions other than in his eyes?

Unless he wasn't aware that she could read him.

It had taken them a while to arrive on the castle, Inko had to admit it was rather impressive. At least compared to past masters that she has had, as they would only have simple homes but still impressive. But this time, this was the home of a king, no one else. A king that must be rather lonely, why else would he come to collect so many slaves like this?

Shaking her head, the young woman followed the other slaves as she looked up and blinked as she saw another tall man at the end of the hall. He had blonde hair that was pulled back to a point, he wore a simple silver chest plate and matching shoulder pads. Metal gauntlets and steel plates around his shins. Otherwise, all he wore was a mixture of black and yellow fabric.

The one thing that stood out about the man was his green eyes, and little blonde moustache. "Hello everyone. I am the right hand man of King Toshinori, you may call me Hizashi. I am also next in command to our lead guard. I was asked by the king to make sure that you were taken to the baths." The man was rather… friendly, to say the least, it made Inko wonder how anyone could be this happy in the kind of world they lived in. But, everyone was strange in this world that was for sure.

"There aren't to be people watching us will there?" asked Mitsuki.

"Of course not. There is one thing that the king doesn't tolerate, is the invasion of privacy." The blonde said with a small smile.

Well, at least that was something, but it made her wonder what else she was to do at this point. Shaking her head, the young woman took a deep breath as she looked around. It was nice to know though that the king gave them privacy but, she also couldn't help but worry about her life while in these walls. What was she to do?

"After you have bathed, you'll be meeting the left hand man to the king and he will direct you to the dining hall where you'll be properly fed and be assigned to your tasks and duties while you remain in the castle walls." Hizashi said with his smile, Inko was wondering if it was some kind of trade mark or something.

Once he led them to the baths, Inko couldn't believe how huge it was. It could easily fit all of them, but there was also a divider for the women and men. "Women on the left, men on the right." Hizashi said with a chuckle before he ushered them all in. "There are also a fresh set of clothes for all of you in there."

Inko blinked a little, as she walked by, she couldn't help but look at Hizashi. She wanted to ask him about the king's eyes, to ask if he was lonely but, thought better of it. There was no way that he would tell her anything anyway. After all, she was a slave.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman walked into the bathing area as she, along with the other slaves got themselves washed up. Letting all the dirt, dust, and mud wash away into the water blow. She couldn't help but keep thinking to the king's eyes though. IT was as if his eyes were held captive in her mind but she knew that it shouldn't bother her like this.

But it did, but why though?

Closing her eyes for a moment, the young woman tried to get herself to calm down. Shaking her head, the young woman dunk herself in the water to rinse her hair out and shook her hair, water droplets flying everywhere. God, why did her life have to go from being simple to complicated? "Inko, what do you think will happen while we live here?"

"I don't really know, with our quirks they may have us work in the kitchen or clean. Otherwise, I don't really know what they'll have us do anyway." Inko said with a sigh before just relaxing in the hot water. She just wanted to relax a little while longer before she got out. It was nice really, to have a nice real bath for a change. It just seemed as if this so far would only be a dream, nothing more.

But all dreams must come to an end at some point.

Once she, along with the other slaves were done with their baths dried off and got changed into their clothes. They were nothing more than simple white shirts and black pants for men, and white dresses for women.

As they left the bathing area, a man with shaggy black hair waited for them. His tired black eyes looked at them all before shaking his head a little. He wore something like Hizashi, but his clothes were nothing but black, even his breast plate was black as well as the gauntlets and shin guards. It made her wonder if he over heated in that armour of his during the hot seasons.

"Hello, I'm Shouta, I am the left hand to the king and third in command of the army here. You all will either listen to direct commands from myself, Hizashi, the king and the captain of the guard who you will meet eventually. For now, he is on a top secret mission for the king." Inko blinked at the man, it made her feel as if the man wasn't interested in anything here. It seemed as if his exhaustion made him want to be anywhere but his current location. "Now, if you'll follow me to the dining hall, you'll meet the king and his adviser and you shall be told of your tasks around the castle."

Inko couldn't help but frown, why it was that they were meeting so many people so quickly was. Maybe the king wanted them to be sure that they knew who it was that they would be listening too around the castle.

The journey through to the dining hall was rather long and exhausting.

Once they arrived to the dining hall, Inko blinked at the long table. It was big enough to fit everyone in the castle most likely. She couldn't help but frown a little in confusion, yet when her gaze fell to the head of the table, she couldn't help but frown in confusion. She could see the king, he was just staring at them all but, and she could swear that his gaze was on her again. Inko couldn't help but stare back at him before looking away.

"Please take your seats." The king said softly, causing them all to flinch slightly. It was as if they feared the king but at the same time they didn't. The man still held no true emotion in his expression or voice.

The slaves took their seats, and started to eat their food with a smile on their faces as they ate. Though, Inko was nervous eating this food. Thinking that it was tainted in some way or another. This was far too good to be true. Turning her eyes to the king, she saw him staring at her again. His eyes looking at her once again yet, it wasn't sad or lonely this time. More like, confused, curious, trying to show her that she can have faith here.

But at the same time it still made her nervous. Yet, she was also rather hungry. Looking around, she saw that the other slaves weren't falling over from poison so that had to mean something. Taking a deep breath, she decided to just eat, she was starving and just wanted to eat.

"Now, I hope you all are enjoying yourselves. I am King Toshinori." The king began, causing everyone to look up at him. "You all will be eating here early in the morning, for lunch and of course for dinner." The king went on, his gaze falling on every single one of them. "You will also be able to use the baths but only after you are done with your chores for the day." That seemed rather reasonable. Though, Inko felt like there was more to it than that.

Tilting her head, the young woman frowned as the king just kept his gaze over at the slaves once again. "I'm sure that Shouta, and Hizashi told you of the people you will be listening too. Or at least, the only people you shall take direct orders from." Seeing everyone nod, the man went on with his instructions. "Now, I am a respectable man, and I will give you all the benefit of the doubt, as for the first seven days, you all will learn where everything is, and what you are to do as such."

Okay, that seemed fine so far, at least he wasn't rushing into anything but at the same time, Inko knew that it could only last for so long. But why? Maybe she was being paranoid right now. Sighing softly, the young woman went back to her meal as she tried to ignore everything that was going on around her. "Now, for your tasks. You do not have to start them today as it is rather late but you will start early in the morning after you eat." Toshinori went on, causing Inko to look up in confusion.

"You'll be escorted to your sleeping quarters by Hizashi and Shouta. Now, please give them their assignments." Toshinori waved his hand to his adviser.

The man cleared his throat and went on, speaking everyone's names and for those whose quirks weren't on the list, had to say what their quirks were. It didn't take long, though Inko blinked as she heard that Mitsuki was going to be working in the kitchen. That was something at least, she would mostly be working on cooking meals and cleaning pots and pans. With how many people were in here, it would take a large part of the day.

Shaking her head, Inko smiled a little, hoping that this time her friend would have no more problems. Though that was also wishful thinking on her part as well. Mitsuki was a free spirit, someone who didn't take abuse from anyone and there was no wonder that she hadn't been killed off but, then again… Inko stuck her neck out there for her so many times.

"Midoriya Inko." Came the voice, causing her to look up at the adviser. "You will be the King's personal maid. Such as cooking, cleaning for him and of course, treating injuries he gets while training anyone in his captains stead. Oh, and as his maid, you will have your own room next to his own should he ever need you." Okay that confused her a little. Why would the king be training anyone, shouldn't only his captain be doing such a thing? Not to mention, why was her room to be near his?!

Though, then again why was she of all people, assigned to be the king's maid? There had to be someone else that was more suited to be with the king. But, what could she do!? Shaking her head, the young woman went to speak up but the adviser bowed to the king and took his leave.

"Wow, looks like you got the short end here Inko." Mitsuki said with a frown.

Her life couldn't get any worse than this could it? Yup, her life couldn't get any worse than it was in this moment. Why did this have to happen, it had to be some kind of mistake but, it seemed at this point that nothing could be normal for her again? It seemed that she went from a normal slave, to a personal maid for a king with eyes that seemed to be able to express himself through his eyes instead but, for some reason only she could read him. It confused her, confound her and now, she was going to have to find a way to get through her life as his maid.

 _'My life just got more complicated…'_ she thought to herself.


	2. Strange Day

Inko groaned as she pushed herself up from her bed. Blinking sleepily, the young woman wondered where she was. She looked around the room she was in, the bed she was sleeping in was rather comfortable compared to the beds she had at her old master's homes. It had soft blankets that would keep her warm, and she even had a small closet full of clothes for her.

Blinking her green eyes in confusion, Inko tilted her head as she pushed herself up from the bed and took another look around the room. Honestly, it made her think that this was a room for a princess… it was then she remembered where she was.

She was in the castle of King Toshinori, and was his personal maid.

Covering her face, the young woman wanted to groan. How did she get herself into this mess? Ah right, she didn't. It was just bad luck on her part.

While the other slaves were taken to the slave quarters, or taken to the king's army, she was to follow Shouta to the room that she would reside in. Mitsuki was concerned for her friend but couldn't do much of anything while Hizashi took her to the slave quarters.

Inko couldn't help but sigh softly as she pulled out a nice green dress. It reached her ankles, long sleeves that could be pulled back should the need arise. Frowning a little more, the young woman shook her head before changing into her new outfit, it was only her first day but as it was rather early in the morning, she suspected that she had to bring the king his breakfast.

Making her way over to her little table, Inko picked up her brush and started to brush through her long green locks, debating if she should pull her hair back or not. Hm… _'Well, I am bringing the king his breakfast so I should have my hair pulled back…'_ Inko thought to herself before setting the brush aside and grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair back. Only leaving two locks framing the sides of her face before she started to make her way out of her room.

She'd have time to grab a little snack but otherwise, she would have to be quick to get the king his breakfast. What would he want to eat? Would he even be awake for that matter? She had no idea what the king was really like when it was just him alone.

Frowning, the young woman thought back to his eyes. So blue, looking as if their depths held a storm of their own. Maybe they did? But, the emotions there, he was so sad, and so lonely that it almost broke Inko's heart. How could he ever be like that in the first place? It just didn't make sense to her, what happened to him to make him hide away his emotions but, for his eyes to be the thing that showed what he felt.

Closing her eyes, Inko felt like everything was wrong here. It was as if everything that had happened shouldn't be the way it was right now. But why?

Shaking her head, the young woman opened her green eyes as she saw the others working around the castle. Some of them sweeping up the carpets, others cleaning the walls and the like. They were already working so hard and it made her smile. It seemed as if the king didn't tolerate abuse but still, the fear was there. Everyone was still afraid that they would be beaten by the king should they mess up even though he said he'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

Yet, she wondered what their lives would be like here. It had her curious. Would they be happier here than ever before or would there be a time, where the king and his men would abuse us again? It had her curious, and a little fearful for her life.

If only she could draw. That was one thing that she could enjoy about her slavery in the past. Sometimes her masters would leave her some paper, telling her to do whatever she wanted with it. Of course, they never expected that she would be any good. One master, even sold some of her drawings for some gold pieces until she would no longer draw for them and the villagers found out that he held no true talent for it.

Since then, she would never keep her drawings, only to rip them up and make sure that no one found the pieces. It broke her heart to do such a thing but at the same time it was the right thing to do. She would never allow anyone to abuse her for her art again even if she was a slave.

Looking up at the ceiling, the young woman couldn't help but wonder. How long did she have until she would have to leave this place? Until she would be forced to have a child of her own that would be able to handle the burden of being a slave? She didn't know, time was rather illusive to her.

Taking a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves, the young woman started to walk once again. Maybe an apple would be good enough for her. Really, she wasn't all that hungry. Her nerves so raw and strained that it made her not want to eat right now.

"Inko!" shouted Mitsuki, causing the green haired woman to blink as she looked over at the doorway to the kitchen. Mitsuki rushed to her and hugged the woman with a relieved laugh. "Oh god I was so worried about you! I thought that the king would have taken advantage of you or something."

"No, he didn't do anything like that. The king left me alone all night really." She answered honestly.

"Good! Oh, are you here for breakfast?" asked Mitsuki.

"I'm not really hungry, so I'm just grabbing an apple for me and some food for the king." Inko gave a small smile to her friend. Mitsuki though just gave her a bland look. "I'm not really hungry Mitsuki, I'm nervous being his personal maid. What would that even require besides cleaning and getting meals for him? What if there is more for it than that?"

Mitsuki sighed softly before walking with Inko into the kitchen to get a tray started for the king. Inko looked over at her friend for a moment as she asked "What do you think there is?"

"I don't know and I don't want to find out honestly." Inko said with a sigh.

Once she got the food set up on the tray, also munching quickly on an apple the green haired woman started to make the journey back to her room. Well, really the king's room as it was right next to hers. God, it was so weird to have his room right next to hers. What if he decided to just come into the room and try to abuse her in some way or was it something else?

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman arrived at the king's room much sooner than she thought she would. Then again, she wanted to be quick so she wouldn't keep him waiting for his food.

Knocking on the door, Inko called out to the king, wondering if he was even in there. If he wasn't, where could he be? It wasn't like they told her that he would be in the dining hall or even in his study wherever that was.

Frowning a little, the young woman tilted her head a little as she carefully opened the door. "King Toshinori?" Inko whispered gently, not wanting to disturb him should he be distracted by… whatever it was that he was doing in his room.

Walking in his room, the young woman tilted her head a little as she looked around the king's room. It was much like her own but a mix of blues and yellows. Like his eyes and hair. Inko couldn't help but tilt her head a little. At the same time, the room itself lacked any kind of life in them. It was as if the king would shut himself out from the world, afraid to show the world who he really was.

Grumbling reached her ears causing her to turn as she looked over at the bed and frowned a little at the blankets. Most of them had been tossed aside during the king's rest and it made her wonder if that was normal for him or if he just naturally had a high body heat so he would toss the blankets aside because of it.

Slowly, she made her way over to the king's bed with the tray in hand as she looked down at the king. It seemed that he was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, hair askew from his restless sleep. His arms tossed over his head as he let out little snores here and there. Getting a better look at his face, she saw that instead of being emotionless even in his sleep, he looked rather peaceful.

"How can he look so peaceful in his sleep but awake he tries to hide what he feels?" Inko whispered softly.

The king mumbled in his sleep about some none sense but Inko just tilted her head a little in confusion. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to smooth out the creases in his forehead, it looked like he was having a nightmare. Frowning a little, the young woman set the tray of food on the table in his room before gently reaching out and brushing her fingers through his hair. Wondering if that would relax the king.

He mumbled a little more in his sleep before turning his head away from the touch. Inko frowned a little before reaching out and gently cupping her hand against the side of his face, hoping that would get him to relax a little. It was something that she used to do for the children that were also sold into slavery and that would always help them relax if they had nightmares brought on by pain and the like.

It seemed to work for the king as he let out a soft sigh. Almost seemed to nuzzle against her hand as he mumbled something under his breath. She wasn't sure what it was as he said it too low for her to hear properly. Pulling her hand back, only to gasp out in shock when she found his hand quickly reaching out and grabbing onto her wrist. Inko wanted to cry out in shock and fear, thinking that she had messed up, thinking that he was going to punish her for waking him.

Looking at his hand, she saw a lion on the back of his right hand, why would he have such a thing on his hand of all things? Then, she turned her gaze to his arm, seeing that he was rather muscular. How did he hide this under his cloak so easily? Blinking her green eyes in confusion, she followed his muscular arm down to him and saw the king staring at her with wide eyes for a brief moment before the emotion left his face. It seemed that he wasn't fully awake yet as he had to force himself to quickly hide his emotions. His blue eyes just stared at her for what felt like an eternity, why was he just staring at her? What was she to do?! What could she do!? Oh god, what was he going to do to her?!

Wait, why wasn't he even crushing her wrist? He was just… holding it in a gentle grip. Was he afraid of hurting her? Gulping a little, Inko tried to speak, yet every time she would move her lips no words would come out. It was as if the words had just died before moving past her lips. What was she going to say?!

"Why are you in here?" asked the king.

Inko gulped a little before she looked over at the tray of food. "I… I was bringing your food and… you were still asleep. I thought that I'd leave it but you looked rather troubled from whatever you were dreaming about."

"I see." The king said before releasing his hold over her wrist and pushed himself up with a grunt. Inko frowned a little at that, was he hurt? "Leave my room, and go clean my study. It's down the hall to the left, last door at the end of the hall." He said, once again no emotion in his voice.

Inko sighed softly as she started to make her way toward the door. Maybe he wasn't going to be like any other masters that she's had in the past. But, doesn't mean that he'd be any better it seems.

"And… thank you for bringing me my meal." He said, causing Inko to turn back to the king as she blinked at the man. The king looked away from her, as if wanting to avoid any eye contact with the woman. Made her wonder if he knew that she could read him but then again, that couldn't be possible. Shaking her head, the young woman just gave him a small smile.

"You're welcome." Giving him one last wave, she left the king's room to let him eat his food.

* * *

Inko sighed softly as she worked up on the study. It wasn't really that messy, but it was rather disorganized. As the king just had scrolls and papers thrown everywhere. It made her frown a little as she wondered what it was that the king was doing in here. What would he be doing in here in the first place?

Shaking her head, the young woman let out a soft sigh as she tried to get herself to calm down. It was something that she had learned while as a child herself. To stop herself from panicking so much, though it only worked so far for her.

The young woman ran a hand through her loose green locks as she tried to keep herself calm and collected. Knowing that she had to keep herself calm down and collected. The king got his food, and she was doing as she was told. Cleaning up his study so that had to mean something.

The young woman finished putting all of the papers away and had a small smile on her face as she let out a sigh. Wiping her forehead, the young woman went to go and check on the king to make sure that he had eaten his breakfast. Though, she couldn't help but wonder if she would have to clean his room next. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of it.

What if he made her clean his clothes? It was one thing to clean children's clothes but another to clean a fully grown man's. Yet, she knew that she would have to do such a thing no matter if she wanted to or not.

"Why does my life have to be so complicated?" Inko mumbled to herself.

"Do you always talk to yourself?"

Inko jumped as she turned around and saw Shouta standing behind her. His hands hidden under his cloak, his eyes though just stared at Inko with a bland expression. "Why are you here?" asked Shouta.

"The king asked me to clean up so… um…"

"Makes sense, he could never keep this place clean." Shouta grumbled before shaking his head a little. He picked up a piece of paper and looked it over before holding it out to Inko. The woman frowned as she accepted the paper and looked it over before looking back up at Shouta. "I was coming to see if the king was in here, but I guess he is out and about doing something stupid." Inko blinked as she wondered what it was that he was talking about. Not to mention, should he really be insulting his own king?

"Um… Shouta, may I ask you something?" asked Inko.

"You may, but I may not answer."

"What is that mark on the back of the king's hand? It looked like a lion." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"Ah, the king's birthmark." Shouta mumbled before scratching the back of his hand. "It's a sign that he is the next and true heir to the throne. Or at the very least, the first born male to take the throne." Shaking his head, the raven haired man, turned his tired gaze onto the green haired woman with a frown on his face. "So you did see it hm?"

"I uh… I was bringing him some food and he was asleep. When he woke up he grabbed me and I saw the birthmark." Inko said with a faint blush on her face.

"Figures." Shouta said with a sigh before shaking his head and looked around the study. "I won't lie, you did very well cleaning up the place. I think you may be his best personal maid yet."

"What happened to the last one?"

"She got a little awkward around the king."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Shouta grumbled before shaking his head and sighed softly. "Anyway, I have to go. I have to help the captain with drills right now. I think the king already left his room so you can go in there and clean up after him." Shouta started to take his leave of the room. It made Inko wonder where the king would go. Shouldn't she be with him during such times or was he just out and about doing his own thing? She had no idea, but she hoped that she would learn something.

Inko dusted her hands on her dress before making her way out of the door. Only to frown a little as she looked over her shoulder and stared at the stack of pure white papers. There was even some paints in here and some ink and a pen. Looking around, she double checked to make sure that there was some extra ink around and pens. The king wouldn't notice one going missing along with some paper right?

Taking a deep breath, the young woman stashed the ink bottles and the pen away in her dress pocket, along with the paper before leaving the room. She knew that it was wrong to do such a thing, but she needed to do something should the need arise where she had nothing to do. Drawing was her one enjoyment in her life and this was something that she would never give up.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman closed up the study behind her before she started to make her way over to the bedroom. God that sounded rather odd when she was thinking that to herself. There was no way that she would do anything with the king that was wrong. A slave and a king? As if that would ever happen.

Even thinking about it made her laugh a little. There was no way that it would be possible for a slave and a king, would ever be together. That was a laugh.

Shaking her head a little, the young woman made her way over to the bedroom and knocked on the door. No answer, so that had to mean something. Smiling to herself, the young woman walked into the room and frowned at how messy the room got since she left earlier. "How can a king be so messy?" Inko asked with a frown on her face.

Walking into the room, she saw that the tray was gone. Had he taken the tray back himself just to save some time for her? Tilting her head a little in confusion, the young woman shook her head before making her way over to the bed and started to fix up his bed. It was simple, the sheets being a bright blue while the blanket itself was red. It was rather interesting that he had such colours on his bed but smiled a little.

Once his bed was dealt with, the young woman looked over at the basket that held all of his clothes, a few of them still thrown across the room as if he was in a hurry to get dressed and leave as quickly as possible.

What does the king do around here in the first place? What could he be able to do around here in the first place? It just didn't make sense to her though she knew that she still had to be careful around here.

Sighing, the young woman lifted the basket of clothes before she started to make her way down the hall. Wanting to make sure that she made her way down to the laundry room and hummed softly wanting to think on what she could do after this. There were so many things that she wondered what would happen, what she should do while she was here. It just seemed that everything in her life would throw itself back at her in some way or another.

Frowning a little, the young woman grunted as she kept walking. Though had a little trouble carrying this basket around. Maybe she should have just grabbed a smaller amount of clothes and then made her way over to the laundry room. Groaning a little, Inko tried to make a turn around the corner until she yelped in shock as she bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" shouted Inko as she went to pick up the clothes.

"Oh no, forgive me. I should have been watching where I was going." The man said, causing Inko to look up and almost gasped in shock. This man was _huge_ not just in height but in pure muscle. He towered over anyone, maybe even the king himself. His hair, blonde and swept back with his bangs sticking upward to what would be a considered a V on his forehead. His smile was bright and could light up a room in the darkest of storms.

His eyes, blue and held their own spark to them yet, she saw something else in his eyes as well. Sadness like the kings but why? This man seemed so happy so why was he sad? What was with it with blonde's with blue eyes having sadness in their eyes? It just didn't seem to make sense.

"Are you alright miss? I didn't hurt you when I bumped into you did I?" Asked the man as he started to pick up the clothes and set them in the basket. Oh! Right!

"Oh I'm fine!" Inko said as she also started to quickly pick up clothes and placed them in the basket. When she grabbed onto one of the king's cloaks, the man grabbed onto her hand as well by accident. Causing both to pull their hands back and stare at the other in shock and confusion. "Sorry." She whispered softly.

"No, it's okay." The man said with a chuckle.

He wore a silver breast plate, a red top and dark blue pants with gold shin guards as well as arm guards that seem to extend to wrap around the back of his hands to his palms. His knuckles, a little scrapped from faint scars but otherwise didn't seem to bother him. He had on a golden cloak that almost seem to sparkle much like his smile.

"Thank you for helping me pick up the king's clothes." Inko said with a smile.

"No problem. I am to help in any way I can, I am happy to help a lovely maiden." The man said with a chuckle, causing Inko to blush a little at his words.

"Um… may I ask who you are? Are you a slave for the king or…?"

"Oh I'm so sorry! I am so rude, I am Captain All Might."

This was the captain!? There was no way that this man could be the captain of the guard, honestly she had thought that he would have been a cruel man. Not someone that would make anyone feel safe and comforted while in this castle? Tilting her head the young woman frowned a little as she stared at the man before her.

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he said "I'm guessing I didn't make a good first impression huh? You seemed rather shocked that I'm the captain?"

"Oh no I'm sorry. It's just that, from past masters, who had captains of their guard they were always cruel men and… um…"

"They tried to take advantage of you right?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry miss… um…"

"Inko."

"Lovely name." All Might said with a chuckle before getting up as he said "I'd love to chat more but I have to go and start training. I hope to see you again Inko." All Might said with a big smile on his face before he ran down the hall. Inko just blinked as she stared at the man. If there was one thing that she hadn't expected about the man, it was strange to see a man like that but she knew at least it seemed as if she made one friend here.

Though, she wasn't sure if that was counted as 'friends' as this was the first time she's ever met the man himself but. Well, for now maybe it was good to say acquaintances? She wasn't sure, though she knew that there was one thing for certain. She had to hurry up and wash these clothes before the king went back to his room. There was no telling what he would do to her.

* * *

 **what would you like to see in future chapters?**


	3. The Mysterious Guard

Inko hummed softly as she sat outside. The king had given her some time off, at least according to Hizashi. It was nice, though she felt like she was kind of taking advantage, it was strange to be given any kind of time off. Though she was nothing more than the slave for the king and only him. So that gave her less things to do during the day and he just seemed to disappear.

It was strange, she had only been here for maybe a couple weeks but it already feels like forever. The king hadn't abused anyone and for that she was thankful. Yet, she couldn't help but frown in thought as she pictured the king in her mind. His eyes, still ever so sad but for no reason at all. It made her curious as to why that was.

Looking up at the sky, the young woman frowned as she tilted her head a little in confusion. Why would the king, of all people be sad? Did he go through something to have such a thing happen to him? To make him want to hide away his emotions to the point that no one ever knew if he was happy or sad? It had her confused, concerned even.

Closing her eyes, the young woman pictured the king, but with a smile on his face. A king that could show his emotions rather than just hide them away with a mask.

Opening her eyes, the young woman curled up under the tree as she started to draw. That was something that she would like to see on the king. A simple smile, nothing more.

Drawing his jawline was simple enough, but at the same time she felt like she couldn't see him doing anything other than just blankly stare at her. His eyes, the only thing on him that seemed to express anything to her but… a smile, that was going to be hard for her to draw as she had yet to see such an expression on his face.

It had her a little concerned for the man but knew that she had to do something to get the king to smile. Even once… but what could she do?

Not like she could really make the king smile, that would be impossible and she knew that better than anyone. Closing her eyes once again, the young woman groaned a little as she tried to think on what more she could do. Maybe she should go and help Mitsuki in the kitchen or even help people with their cleaning.

"What are you doing out here?" asked a familiar voice.

Inko whipped her head upward and blinked as she saw Captain All Might looking down at her with a big smile on his face. "Captain All Might!" Inko said in shock.

"Just All Might is fine." He said with a chuckle before pointing to the seat next to her. "May I join you for a moment?" He asked with a smile.

"Sure. I don't mind." Inko said with a soft smile.

All Might sat down next to her, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "Training is tiring, my men need a good way to heal quickly or at least someone to treat their wounds." He said with a sigh, leaning back with his palms on the grass. Inko blinked as she looked at the captain, he seemed so relaxed and content. IT was odd to see that a man his size could relax. Giving him a small smile, Inko went back to her drawing. "So, what are you drawing? How did you get the paper?" asked the captain.

"Um… please don't tell the king this but… I uh… kind of stole it from his study. I love drawing, it's the one thing that keeps me happy in this." Inko whispered as she held the drawing closer to her chest.

"I won't tell him, but I'm sure if you just asked him to draw, that he won't mind. He's not a terrible man once you know him." All Might said with a chuckle.

"How well do you know him?" asked Inko with a frown.

"All my life."

Oh, then maybe he'd know why the king was sad. This could be a chance to ask him such a thing, though there was also the chance that he wouldn't tell her anything since she was still new here. "All Might, I've noticed something odd about the king."

"Is it because he doesn't show his emotions? It isn't surprising, he is called 'The Emotionless King' for a reason." All Might said with a sad laugh.

"No, he isn't emotionless."

"Huh?"

"I can see it in his eyes. I can read him for some reason, I know it has nothing to do with my quirk since I can only attract small things to me but… his eyes, they look so sad and lonely." Inko whispered.

"Understandable, he has been through a lot in his life." All Might said while scratching the back of his head and sighed softly.

"What did he go through to have made him like this?" asked Inko.

"I'm sorry, but that is a tale that I cannot tell you. It isn't my story to share, sorry." All Might said with a sad smile on his face. Well, that was to be expected she guessed. Though maybe someday she'll learn the truth, though she just hoped that she could learn something about the man but knew that someday, there was nothing that she could do about his story for now. Closing her eyes, Inko shook her head at the guard and gave him a faint of a smile.

"I'm not mad, you're right. It isn't your story to share with me, I shouldn't have put you through that."

"Wish I could be more help to you." All Might said with a soft sigh before he looked up at the sky and frowned a little at that. "Have you ever wondered why there are more people without quirks than with?" asked All Might.

"I have, but I just assumed it was because quirks just haven't worked its way to other people yet." Inko said with a frown.

"Lots of people would guess that." All Might said with a soft sigh before pushing himself up and dusted his pants off before looking over at Inko with a smile on his face. "Would you like to watch how I train the guards? I think they may do better with a beautiful woman watching."

Inko blushed darkly before giving him a faint smile. "I'm not sure if I'd be of any help."

"I think you could be. My men need some kind of motivation. I know it's wrong to ask you of this but will you let me use you as a demo-straighten? Please?"

How could she say no to that face? It would break her heart to see the man show any kind of sadness in his smile. Though, his eyes betrayed him for the most part. His blue orbs showed a pleading to them, along with loneliness and sadness. The last two being the most dominate in his gaze. How was it that she could read him along with the king of all people? It just didn't make sense, she couldn't read anyone as well as these two.

"Inko?" His voice snapped her out of her trance, causing her to blink her green eyes as she stared at the man. "You alright?"

"Sorry, I was thinking. I'll come, maybe if you need me to I'll treat their injuries." Inko said with a giggle.

"Why do you have a healing quirk?" asked All Might.

"No, I can only attract small objects to me. But I did learn how to treat injuries should the need ever arise." Inko said with a smile on her face.

"Interesting skills you have, that is true." The captain said with a chuckle before he started to walk on ahead. Inko of course, needing to run a little to keep up with the man. Sometimes, it was hard being short.

* * *

"Alright men, today we're going to try something a little different here." All Might said, causing all the men to look at him in confusion. "I know compared to the past, we have only trained in trying to bring up your skills. But, now you must learn to fight on the spot. For example, Inko please come here." Inko frowned a little as she walked out from behind the giant man, hands folded in front of her while she shifted from side to side.

"As many of you know, Inko here is the king's personal maid. We are to keep her safe at all times." Inko whipped her head up and stared at the man with shock in her eyes. Why would she need to be protected? Just because she was the king's personal maid or was it something more? "So, we are going to use her as a motivation of sorts. You'll need to try to steal her away from Shouta and Hizashi as a means protection and guarding her should the king not be around."

What did that mean? The king was always around right? There was no way that the king would be alone, after all he was well protected himself right?

"Men, are you paying attention?" called the captain.

Inko blinked as she looked up and saw that all the men were staring at her. It made her a little uncomfortable, causing her to hide behind the captain a little, using his cape as a means to hide herself from everyone's gaze. "Men, pay attention!" Shouted All Might, causing all the men to straighten themselves. Inko giggled a little, he could be serious when he wanted to be after all.

"Sorry sir!" shouted the men.

"Good, now… the task will start…"

"Ah!"

"Now."

Inko hadn't expected for something to wrap around her waist and pulled her waist and pull her up off of the ground. Soon, she found herself in the arms of Shouta, his tired gaze told her that he would still want to be in bed instead of this. But he had to instead help with the training of the guards. "Just relax. I won't drop you." Inko couldn't help but panic as they were rather high up, on the wall that surrounded the castle grounds.

"What was that that you grabbed me with?!" Inko all but shouted.

"It's my capture weapon. I'm not one for fighting so to speak with weapons. I use this as a means to fight but using their own movements against them." Shouta explained before looking down at the wall. Inko looked down as she saw Hizashi standing below them. Most likely to make sure the men didn't try to get to her or Shouta for that matter. Hizashi would let out a scream, which made the guards cover their ears.

"Are they even going to be able to get up here?" asked Inko with a frown on her face.

"Not really. All Might wanted to make sure that the men learned the value of a life. Should they fail, they don't just fail themselves but the lives of those who they tried to save. It gives them more purpose to fight. A reason to keep living and to fight for others and not just themselves. That is what he is trying to teach them." Shouta calmly explained, causing Inko to look up at him with a frown on her face.

"Why?"

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but… years ago, the captain failed to protect someone dear to him. His teacher really, she was also someone who taught the king how to use a sword. The loss was a heavy burden on him." Inko wondered if that was why All Might looked so sad, or at least his eyes gave it away. Though there had to be more to it than that. Shaking her head, the young woman looked up at Shouta as she calmly said "I won't tell him that you said anything. Promise."

"Good, because I would deny everything." Shouta mumbled.

Inko just laughed, she thinks that she could get along with this man. He was rather funny when he could be. Or at the very least when she found it rather entertaining.

Looking back down at the ground below, Inko saw that the men were still trying to get by Hizashi and they would be blasted away by his quirk. Others had started to give their quirks a try and it made her a little curious as to where the men make their mark. The only way for them to get by Hizashi was if they could become invisible or, somehow get around the man to get a good hit on him. Though, that would be easier said than done for the most part.

Though, what had surprised her was one guard that seemed to rush forward. His arms held out behind him as he rushed forward. Hizashi let out a scream, only for the guard to dodge to the left in what appeared to be a blur. He rushed forward, only to jump into the air and flip around before slamming his leg into the ground. The earth itself started to shake from the movement, causing Shouta and Inko to shake from the top of the wall.

Inko yelped out as she fumbled on the top of the castle wall. "Ah!" The green haired woman stumbled as she fell over the wall. "Ah!"

"Inko!" Shouted Shouta as he tried to use his capture gear to save the falling green haired woman.

 _'I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!'_ Inko thought with tears spilling at the corners of her eyes while the ground came closer and closer.

"Inko!" shouted the captain as he tried to reach her in time.

"Hold on!" Shouted someone, a voice that she didn't know at all. Inko looked down as she watched the man rushing to the wall, his body seemed to spark for a brief moment before he jumped into the air with incredible force. She couldn't help but stare in shock before the one guard managed to grab onto her midair and held her tightly in his arms and held out his hand. Holding back his middle finger against his thumb before shooting flicking his finger forward in what one would assume to be some kind of air pressure though it had slowed down their fall.

Once they were on the ground, All Might rushed to her as he asked "Oh god Inko are you okay?!" Inko looked up at All Might with wide eyes, not sure what had just happened. It had seemed like it was nothing more than a blur. Turning back to the guard, she saw that he was just staring at her, at least that's what she figured, and it was rather hard to tell with him wearing a helmet that covered the upper half of his face.

"I… I'm okay, thanks to him." Inko whispered.

"No, you were in trouble because of me. I'm sorry." The man said with a small bow before he looked up at All Might. "Captain, if you so with I will take any punishment you will give me. I put her in danger even though it was by accident I will still take full responsibility."

"No, you saved her. That is enough to show that you are still responsible Zuko." All Might said with a soft sigh. Inko just blinked as she stared at the mystery man.

Zuko bowed again before he looked over at Inko and gave her a strange expression. His lips twisted in what she could assume to be one of pain before he bowed to both her and All Might and ran off to join the other guards for drills.

"Don't be so upset with him Inko. He's only been here for a year but he is a tough fighter. Even though he is rather mysterious."

"No, he just surprised me is all. And, what do you mean he's mysterious?" Inko said with a frown.

"Well, he just seemed to have appeared. No family, no friends, nothing but the clothes on his back and that damn helmet of his. He never takes it off around others. Even when he isn't dressed up as a guard, he still wears something that hides his face. Though, he was rather odd when he showed up here, was kind of being a bit of a fan boy."

"Hm… he seems kinda… sad to me from what I could see."

"What do you mean?" asked All Might.

"I don't really know. But, I feel like he was more upset than he should be with putting my life in danger, as if seeing me in danger hurt him more than it should. I don't know." Inko said with a shake of her head, looking up at All Might with a small smile. "I think… I'll go inside for now. I'm rather exhausted over this."

"Alright, I'd rather you be inside than outside of the walls anyway."

Huh? "Why?" Inko said with a frown.

"It's too dangerous out there. It is better that you stay in here and stay safe within the castle walls." All Might said with a small smile on his face. Inko just frowned a little at that before she nodded and started to walk inside the castle.

Though as she walked, the young woman couldn't help but be curious as to what had just happened. To think, her day just started out like it usually did then she was given some time off to draw until All Might decide to join her and asked if she could help him with his training. Only to be used as 'motivation' and was put in danger by accident. That man, the one with the helmet on… he was mysterious, that was for sure though she knew that she had to do something to stop this.

Though, maybe for now she shouldn't overthink this and just get some rest.


	4. Paintings and Rainy Walks

Inko sighed softly. It seemed that her life was in turmoil. Sure, it wasn't that her life was terrible anymore, in fact it was nice for a change. Though, it was rather confusing really. First, there was the king, he would just seem to appear and disappear and that confused her. Along with the fact that only she can read his eyes while no one else could. That was something that seemed to confuse her a little, so that had to mean something.

Captain All Might was no different.

He hid what he felt through a big smile on his face. Never allowing anyone to see what he really felt and that was what confused her about him. Though, if she was thinking about this clearly, and properly, then it was possible that he still felt guilt over losing his master.

Then of course there was that guard. What was with it and her seeming to be able to read people lately? Sure she knew how a person could act but, if they had no eyes for her to read how could she still be able to read them? Was it through body language? Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman adjusted her grip on the wicker basket of clothes as she walked down the hall toward the king's room. She knew that she had to get these back to his room as soon as possible

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman turned the corner only to yelp as she bumped into someone and dropped all of the clothes on the floor. "Oh no." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." The voice, said, causing Inko to look up and blink as she saw the guard standing above her. "I struggle a little to see where I'm going." He said with a chuckle.

He stood there wearing what could best be described as a cloth mask as it seemed to cover his head and his eyes from view. Yet, the cloth that wrapped around his eyes seemed to be made from a different fabric to allow him sight though it must still be hindered a little.

Looking down, she saw that he had one a white long sleeved shirt and a green vest. Thick brown gloves, most likely to keep his fists safe from the source of his quirk's power. Then she saw that he wore dark pants with brown steel toed boots. Interesting way to dress while not out training but still strange that he'd go so far out of his way to dress up like this.

"It's okay, I'm rather clumsy. You're not the first person to bump into me." Inko said before she started to pick up the clothes from the floor. Only to frown as she saw the guard helping her as well. "You don't have to help me with this, I've got it." Inko said with a frown.

"No, I was raised to help people. My dad would be rather disappointed in me if he learned that I wasn't helping a lady." The man said with a chuckle. "I'm Zuko by the way, and you're Inko right? The captain said your name the other day."

"Yes."

"Um… may I ask, what is the connection between you two right now? Or even the king right now?" Why did he want to know something like that? It wasn't that it was anyone's business but still, to be asked up front about the whole thing? That was something that she couldn't allow herself to fully answer. At least not like that…

"All Might is a friend, the king? I'm not really sure. I don't really see him all that often. He just seems to disappear a lot so I almost never know where the man could be." Inko said softly as she started to pick up the clothes on the floor, folding them and placing them back in the basket.

"Friends huh?" The man said, sounding a little disappointed.

"What about you? Why did you come here? You've been here a year right?" asked Inko with a frown.

"Oh, I came here to train under the great Captain All Might, he has been my hero since I was a child. Plus, I want to make a difference in the world. I want to keep people safe, keep my loved ones safe no matter what I have to do in order to do so." Zuko said with a smile on his face. Inko couldn't help but blink a little in confusion at that. He wanted to do so much and thought that he could do such a thing by being trained under All Might? Interesting.

As she went to pick up one of the king's cloaks, Zuko's hand touched hers causing both to pull their hand back in shock. "Sorry, I wasn't looking." Zuko said with a weak chuckle before turning away from Inko and picked up the clothes that had fallen away from her reach. Inko found the man to be rather awkward, than again so was she. So, who was she to judge about this anyway?

Shaking her head, the young woman started to get to work on grabbing all of the clothes as she folded back into the basket. Yet, her green eyes made their way over to the man. Finding him rather confusing. His body language told her that he was angry at himself, but at the same time trying to keep himself a secret. It had to be hard on someone to carry so many secrets in them.

Not being allowed to tell a soul about well, anything. Even the small things that he said couldn't tell her who he really was. Or that he was a bad guy, so what could he be hiding from everyone? It just didn't make sense to her but again, she couldn't just figure it out.

"What is going on here?" came a third voice, causing Inko and Zuko to look up and blinked. Towering over them was the king himself. What bothered her was the sparks in his eyes, he almost looked angry for some reason.

Inko yelped out in shock as she said "King Toshinori! I was just bringing your clothes to you and I got bumped into and they… um… went flying around so I was picking them up with Zuko." Toshinori's eyes went from her to Zuko, only seeming to look angry yet his facial expression didn't change in the least. It seemed as if he was trying his hardest to keep himself from showing any emotions other than his eyes revealing them to her.

"I see." Toshinori said as he glared at the masked man before his eyes returned to Inko. "Return these to my room at once and then clean up the grand hall." With that, the king walked off.

"It's so weird seeing him not showing any kind of emotions."

"No, he was a little upset."

"How can you tell?"

"It's hard explain but I can read the king, and All Might. I don't know what it is, or why for that matter. I think it's because I can read people." Inko shook her head as she pushed herself up with the basket. "Well, I should get going. Thank you for helping me Zuko." Inko gave him a small smile before walking off. She just hoped that it would be easier to clean up the grand hall. At least, she hoped it would be.

* * *

Oh how wrong she was. The place was covered in dirt, dust and mud. It was as if whoever used this place before her wanted to make sure that it was a barn. Shaking her head, the young woman made her way over to broom and started to sweep the floors. At least this was something that would distract her from everything that had happened.

So far, she spent most of her time with All Might, the king still kept up his disappearing act but at the same time it made her wonder where he went. What did he do that would make him disappear so much? It was rather confusing, and it made her very curious.

What also confused her was why the king looked so angry in that moment. Okay, maybe not that angry, but close enough. She could still make out a spark of anger in his blue eyes, his voice also kind of gave it away but not enough for many people to notice it. It had her so curious about the man. Why did he hide what he felt and why was it that it happened in the first place?

Looking around the room, she noticed the many paintings in the room. Why would they have any paintings here of all places, wouldn't they have a special hall for that or something? Tilting her head, the made her way over to the paintings and saw that all of them were indeed people.

Squinting her eyes a little, she noticed that the first painting was of a man with raven black hair, yet it was what was on his hand that surprised her the most. On his hand was a lion, its maws opened in a mighty roar much like the lion's mark on Toshinori's hand. It made her think that this man had to be one of his ancestors. Walking over to the next one, it was another man, this time around with his wife and children. Only one of the children had the same mark as Toshinori and his father.

It was true, only one child, a son, the first born son, would have the royal mark. It had her curious as to when that started. Though maybe she wouldn't have a true answer to that.

Shaking her head, the young woman looked over and blinked as she saw a painting that seemed to really stick out more than anything. In the painting was a man with raven black hair that was slicked back. He wore a simple pair of glasses and wore royal blue robes. On the back of his hand he had the lion mark much like Toshinori. His brown eyes seemed to be full of love, kindness and compassion.

The woman next to him was taller than he was. Long blonde hair pulled back in a rope. In a way her hair made her think of sun shine really. Her eyes, blue as the ocean that held their own electric storm within them. It reminded her of the king's eyes. She wore a simple red gown that showed off her figure but keeping modesty to her.

Yet, it was the image of two children that drew her attention. In the painting, was a boy, hair and eyes like his mother. He wore blue and red robes, his hands folded in front of him yet she could still make out the lion mark on his hand. The boy though, had the biggest and brightest smile that she had ever seen on a boy in her life.

Next to him, was a girl, just a little shorter than her brother with wide brown eyes so pure and innocent that Inko wondered what a girl such as her would do? She had to have such a pure soul for eyes such as that. Her hair, long like her mother's but was held back in a ponytail instead of a robe with two short locks framing her face. She wore a blue dress.

If these were who she thought they were, then where were they? They had to be around somewhere, so what could have happened to them in the first place?

Tilting her head a little to the side, she made her way up to the painting to get a better look at this. "How can such a boy, filled with so much joy turn out the way he did?" Inko whispered, she knew that this was indeed the king. There was no mistaken those eyes more than anything. Even though the painter couldn't capture it, she could still see it. His smile, his joy, his happiness… all of it was real. It was all true, and now he was nothing but a shell of a man.

"That's the king and his family." Inko jumped, causing herself to turn around and stared at Hizashi with wide eyes. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm surprised the king sent you to clean this by yourself." The blonde said with a small smile on his face. "Normally he only sends one person to clean is if he's upset about something."

"Such as?"

"It's hard to say what will set him off. Could be any number of things but even then he doesn't really punish you if you don't finish a task or anything like that." Hizashi said with a shake of his head before looking back up at the painting with a frown on his face. He let out a soft yet sad sigh before running a hand through his long locks and went to turn away from Inko.

"What happened to his family?" asked Inko, causing Hizashi to stop as he stared at her in confusion. "There are paintings here of family, of his ancestors and his sister looked younger than him so she has to be somewhere. Right?"

"His family died years ago, so it's just him. As the only child and heir to the throne, Toshinori had to be king at a young age. Normally you aren't a true king until you've married but, with everything happening in his life around then, they decided to let the 'marrying a princess' slide but, pressure has been on lately for him to wed." Hizashi said with a soft sigh before shaking his head a little at Inko.

"Is that why he's angry? Because of all the pressure?" Inko asked.

"It's one reason yes. But, it is also around the anniversary of his family's death so he tends to keep to himself." Hizashi said with a soft sigh. "Anyway, I'm going to go see the captain, we need to go over drills for tomorrow since it's supposed to rain tonight from what one of the slaves pointed out."

"Huh?"

"We have a slave that can sense when it'll rain." Hizashi said with a chuckle before walking off. That made Inko a little confused, but it also made her wonder if, Toshinori was this way because of his family. Unless, it was something more than that. Maybe she'll find out someday.

Inko sighed softly as she got to work in the grand hall. The work itself was rather hard, and took a lot out of her. Though, she couldn't help but wonder when the king would even use this room. During the whole time she had been here, she had never seen the man use it once. Unless he was going to get ready to use it soon.

Shaking her head, the young woman looked out the large glass windows as she gazed outside. The clouds had already gathered during her long hours in this room. The moon, having faded long ago behind the clouds and thunder and lightning flashed in the sky. A boom was heard, causing her to frown a little. Her grip tightened on the mop as she tried to get herself to calm down.

She didn't like storms that much was for sure. But when it came to the king's eyes, she found no fear within them. Or at the very least, she felt no fear of them. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, the young woman made her way over to the window and couldn't help but gaze outside. The rain was pouring, so roughly that she couldn't see very well outside.

Frowning a little, the young woman was about to turn her gaze until she saw someone walking outside on the castle grounds. "Huh?" She whispered softly before squinting her eyes a little hoping to see who it was. She could make out blonde locks. Blue and red robes… "King Toshinori?" She whispered before shaking her head and dropping her mop before she ran out of the grand hall. Holding her dress so she wouldn't trip over the gown as she ran.

Why was he outside? Why would he even be walking around in this weather? Was he just walking about to clear his thoughts or was it something more to it than that?

Shaking her head, Inko ran faster, pushing herself hoping that she could reach the man. "Inko?!" shouted Mitsuki though Inko just ran past her friend. She had no time for this, she had to hurry out and reach the man. Something had to be bothering him… no, she knew that something was bothering him. He must be thinking about his family, he was alone because he had no family left. Now she knew that much, but she just hoped that he would let her help him inside.

Rushing out of the castle door, Inko looked around as she saw the king wandering around ahead of her. His shoulders slumped forward as if he was defeated. Inko couldn't help but feel her heart clench at the sight. Rushing forward, the young woman ran toward him as she called out to him. The king stopped walking as he lifted his head and looked toward her. Inko made her way to him and looked up at the man. His eyes, overwhelmed in his loneliness. Why though? Before he was angry but now… he just seemed very overwhelmed.

"Inko?" He whispered so softly that she almost didn't hear him over the sound of the rain hitting the grass. "Why are you out here?" He asked softly.

"Why I'm out here? I should be asking you that." Inko said with a frown.

"Just… trying to clear my thoughts is all." He whispered, avoiding her gaze. Though she already knew what it was that he was feeling. He was lonely, and sad still. Both emotions had been overwhelming for him and now he was outside, not caring if it rained or not. His clothes from what she could see were soaked right on through, his body trembled a little from a chill that was surging through him.

"Come on, let's go inside." Inko said gently, her eyes showing him concern and worry about his health. He just stared at her as if she was being silly. That he didn't deserve her kindness or concern in the least. He looked away from her, as if he was just going to keep going for his walk but Inko wouldn't let him do such a thing. She knew that he had to come inside and get dried off before he got himself sick. "King Toshinori, please come inside with me. If you don't you'll get sick." Inko said with a frown.

"I don't get sick." He whispered softly.

"Everyone does. You're only human, you don't need to be out here alone in the rain." Inko said with a frown.

"Then… stay out here with me." Whispered the king, causing her to look up at him with wide eyes. "It is… rather lonely to be out in the rain alone." Inko frowned a little, thinking that maybe he was only out in the rain, in the hopes to wash away his pain. That the rain would wash away any pain that his heart would seep out to his very soul. She couldn't help but stare at him with pity but it only lasted for a brief moment.

"I'll stay, but… you'll need to come inside in a bit. You may say you don't get sick but I don't want to take any chances with you." Inko gave him a small smile.

Toshinori stared at her, and for a brief moment she thought his eyes lit up with a moment of happiness. As if his own pain had for the moment faded from him. Though it was only brief as his happiness disappeared. Though not by much as she could see just a sliver of joy within their depths.

"So, what would you like to do in the rain?" asked Inko with a smile, the rain causing her hair to stick to her face. She reached up to move her hair to the side before she felt a strong hand touching her skin. Looking up, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks as she found the king gently moving her hair aside. How could it be, that a man his side, with hands large enough to choke her or even slam her into the ground… could be so gentle with her?

"Maybe just… walk and talk." He whispered softly. Inko smiled faintly at him, she wrapped her arms around him which caused him to stare at her in confusion.

"It's hard to see in this rain so… this way I don't lose you." Inko said with a soft laugh.

"Alright." The king said, his eyes shining with amusement.

As they walked in the rain though, no one noticed a man watching them from afar. He just smiled softly as he whispered "It is as it should be."


	5. Sick Day

Inko hummed softly as she wandered the halls of the castle. It was nice that she could have spent some time with the king, even if it was something as small as walking in the rain. They didn't do it for very long, maybe an hour at best or less than that. Though, she just hoped that it had helped to lift his spirits a little. Even not by much but a little bit was better than nothing at the very least.

"Inko you okay?" asked Mitsuki when she caught up to her friend. Inko nodded and gave her friend a small smile. "You sure? Because you just ran out of here like someone was after you." Mitsuki said with a frown.

"I saw the king wandering around in the rain the other night. HE didn't want to leave so he asked me to stay with him, just to walk around in the rain." Inko said softly.

"How romantic."

"Huh?"

"I think it's a nice little romantic gesture. I think he likes you." Mitsuki said with a grin on her face.

"Mitsuki, it won't work. I'm a slave, he's a king. Love won't work besides I don't feel anything like that for him." Inko pointed out with a frown on her face.

Mitsuki though, just gave her friend a smile. As if no matter what the green haired woman said it wouldn't help. Her friend was set in her mind set that the king had feelings for her of all people. Inko just rolled her eyes and shook her head a little before walking on ahead. The young woman just wanted to get out of here as quickly as she could.

Yet, the ash-blonde just smirked a little more before rushing to keep up with her friend. "Think about it, he couldn't keep his eyes off of you when he first saw you. Then of course you get told that you're going to be his personal maid." Mitsuki shook her head before letting out a laugh. "What are the odds going to be that you'll end up as the future queen?"

"I highly doubt it'll ever come to that. Me? Queen? You are thinking far too ahead of yourself on that idea." Inko said with a soft sigh before shaking her head and looked up at her friend. "Plus, that would also incline, that I have feelings for the king and him for me."

Mitsuki shrugged her shoulders as she just grinned at her friend. It seemed that no matter what is said, her friend still had it in her head that the king had romantic feelings for her or at least felt something. Though she knew for a fact that the king would never feel anything as silly as love for her of all people.

Shaking her head, the young woman asked "So, have you misbehaved yet?" She turned to stare at her friend, only for the ash-blonde to smile a little at her friend. A sign that she had at the very least, behaved for the others. Though, Inko still had a sinking feeling that she would at some point mess up. There was no telling how long a run such as this would ever last. It was hard to say, but Inko just hoped and prayed with all of her heart that her friend wouldn't mess up.

Even though Hizashi had told her that the king wouldn't punish someone in such ways, but he could still get angry even if he hid that feeling from everyone. Closing her eyes, the young woman shuddered by a slight chill that ran through her body. She had felt like this since she came in from the rain with the king, but she at least went to have a bath. That had at least warmed her up, and brought up her core body heat.

Though she just hoped that the king did the same thing. Even though he claimed to never get sick, she still had the thought in her head that he could still get sick and would try to hide it from others so they wouldn't worry about him.

"So, what did you talk about?" asked Mitsuki.

"Just random things. Our lives and the like though the king didn't have much to share with me." Looking away, she shrugged her shoulders as she added "I don't think he would have shared much of anything with me anyway since I am nothing more than a slave, a stranger to him which I can understand. Though, I did learn a bit about his family."

"Like what?" asked Mitsuki.

"His mother wasn't from these lands. She was from overseas, traveled here in order to learn more about other lands. Fell in love with his father and they married. After that, they had twins, the king and his sister."

"Sister? He has a sister?" Mitsuki said in shock.

"Yes, though she passed away like his parents." Inko said with a frown on her face. "It was the reason why he walked outside in the rain. It was the day he lost his family, I don't know what too, but they were lost to him." Inko said before shaking her head a little and looked up at her friend. I think when it rains and he's overwhelmed, he walks in the rain in order to wash away his pain. I don't think it ever helps but to numb the feeling."

"So he's a rather sensitive man." Mitsuki said with a grin and giggled a little.

Inko groaned a little at that, why must her friend keep bringing up the possibilities of romance with her and the king when there is nothing going on? There is no romance going on and she knew that. So, why couldn't her friend ever see that? There is no way for them to be… well anything.

Closing her eyes, the young woman ran a hand through her green locks before she went to keep walking until she blinked as she saw the king walking toward them. "King Toshinori?" Inko called out.

The king blinked slowly at Inko as she addressed him. Inko frowned a little at that, was he okay? "King Toshinori? Are you okay?" She asked softly, the king just blankly stared at her for a moment before his eyes seemed to spark a little as if he finally saw her.

"Inko, what are you doing here?" asked the king with confusion in his eyes.

"I'm walking while going to my next task. Are you okay?" Inko asked with concern. The king just blankly stared at her. Now that she got a better look at him, the young woman noticed that the king was shaking, not out of anger or fear but… was he cold? Reaching up at the man, the young woman placed a hand on his forehead and almost yelped as she pulled her hand back. "You have a really bad fever King Toshinori." Inko said with a frown.

"I'm fine, I have so much to do." The king said, giving Inko a small wave as if to wave off her concerns. Inko couldn't help but frown at him a little more in concern. Why would he wave off her concerns like this in the first place? He was sick, now that she had a better look at him she saw that he was pale. She even had felt cold sweat on his forehead and it made her frown a little in confusion.

"No, you need to go back to bed. You must have gotten a cold while you were in the rain." Inko pointed out.

"No…" He whispered softly, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I have too many people who need me." He added in his whispering voice.

"There are other people who can pick up your slack. I'm sure that Shouta and Hizashi can do what you could have done." Inko said before crossing her arms across her chest.

"No… I'm…" Toshinori whispered before his knees to have given out on him. Inko quickly reached up and caught the man in her arms, only to yelp and fall backward onto the floor.

"Mitsuki, help me please?" Inko whined. The king, tall as he was, had his face buried against her neck and Inko had to admit his skin felt rather hot against her own. He was sweating more than before though maybe due to straining himself to keep moving. Inko frowned as Mitsuki was able to help the green haired woman take their blonde king off of her.

"I didn't think he'd fall on you." Mitsuki said with a frown as she helped lean the king against the wall.

"Neither did I." Inko said before carefully walking over to the king and placed a hand on his sweaty forehead. He groaned a little, only to sigh softly against her cold skin. "He's burning up though, we'll have to take him to his room. He isn't that far from us so I hope that this will be enough to help him." Inko said before seeing her friend nod at him. "King Toshinori, can you walk?"

"I… I'll try." He whispered. Inko saw that the king needed a little help getting back onto his feet as he wobbled a little. Inko frowned a little as she helped the man onto his feet and started to hold onto him, along with Mitsuki to his bedroom.

"Are you dizzy King Toshinori?" asked Inko.

"A little…"

"Mitsuki, can you do me a favor after we get the king to his room?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I'll need you to get me a basin of cold water, a cloth, some herbs and maybe some soup. It may be best if he has something light in his stomach." Inko said with a frown on her face as she looked up at the king. She saw how glossy his eyes were as he stared at her and she couldn't help but stare at the man in concern. "Don't worry King Toshinori, you'll be okay. I'll take care of you."

The king just blankly looked at her yet, she was sure that his eyes sparkled with relief. It seemed that he wasn't expecting anyone to want to take care of him, and that made Inko rather curious as to why that was. Looking at Mitsuki, the young woman asked "Also, let Hizashi and Shouta know about the king's whereabouts. It may make them feel a little better to know that the king is sick and in his room."

"Alright." Mitsuki said with a smile before walking with the green haired woman to the king's room. Though, the walk itself was rather difficult. The king would stumble here and there or his legs would give out as if he was in and out of consciousness the whole time. It had her a little concerned about the man, mostly about how long he had suffered like this. Had it been since he got inside from the rain or better yet the day after?

Turning her green eyes back up at the king, she saw that he was staring at her. Blushing darkly, the young woman turned her face away from the man wondering why he was staring at her like that. It was rather uncomfortable, but at the same time it made her heart race in her chest. What was wrong with her?

Once they got to the king's room, Inko carefully opened the door and walked with her friend and the king to his bed before laying him down on his bed. The man groaned and whined a little before sighing softly in content as he nuzzled his pillow. Inko wanted to laugh at the scene, it was rather adorable but knew that now wasn't the time for such a thing as this. "Okay, you go on and get what I asked of you and I'll stay here with the king." Inko said to her friend, the ash-blonde nodded her head before running out of the room.

"I'm sorry." Toshinori whispered softly.

"Why are you sorry?" asked Inko.

"Because I didn't listen to you… I stayed out in the rain when I should have gone back inside." He whispered softly.

Inko just gave him a small smile before running her fingers through his bangs. "It's okay, you were grieving. You don't have to tell me what it is, but you were hurting right?" Inko gave him a soft smile before watching the man nod his head. "Just rest okay? I'll take care of you, you just have to do as I ask of you is all." The king nodded his head to her before nuzzling his pillow once again. "Now, I'll need you to change okay? I can help you with your top but your pants you'll have to remove on your own."

Toshinori nodded his head before pushing himself up from his pillow and moaned. Inko couldn't help but frown a little at the king in concern before helping him remove his cloak. It was easy to remove, though his vest and shirt were a different story. She noticed that it was made out of a special fabric that could stretch. Odd, why would he wear such a thing?

Shaking her head, the young woman looked at the king and gave him a soft yet gentle smile. He looked up at her and looked so lost and alone. It nearly broke her heart to see him like this, how could he look so emotionless in his face but his eyes, it was enough to break her heart.

Once she helped to remove his shirt, the young woman blinked as she stared at the king's muscular chest. His well-defined arms yet, she also noticed a few scars on his body. One even looked like someone had tried to ram their hand through his stomach and rip out his organs. What happened for this to happen to him? It didn't make sense to her, she reached out and gently rubbed her fingers against his scar, making him flinch.

"Please don't." He whispered, Inko looked up and saw his face tinting pink. Was he embarrassed by the scars or the memory of them? Frowning a little, the young woman just nodded her head as she pushed herself up. Toshinori looked up at the green haired woman as he tilted his head to her. Inko just gave him a small smile before went to turn away from the man to go and get him something to wear. Only to feel the king grab her wrist in a weak grip. Turning back to the sick man, Inko saw that his eyes looked at her in a pleading way. As if he was afraid to lose her, or that she would just leave him to suffer alone. "Don't leave…" he whispered softly.

Inko gave him a soft smile. He was rather adorable while he was like this, but she also felt like that while he was sick, he tended to allow himself to let his emotions out. That his emotional walls grew cracks in them that allowed his emotions to shine through. Right now, he didn't want to be left alone. "I'm not leaving, I'm just going to get you something to wear is all." She said gently before making her way over to his closet and pulled out his sleep wear before making her way over to the king. "Here, I'll turn around so you can change. Think you can manage that?"

Toshinori nodded his head before Inko turned away from the blonde king as he started to change. The sound of rustling fabric was heard, along with a few grunts from the man as he changed. Inko couldn't help but be curious as to how many times the king had ever gotten sick in the past. If he did, how long was he sick for and not to mention did anyone ever take care of him? Look out for him? It had her curious if his last maid ever went out of her way to help him.

"Are you dressed?" asked Inko.

"Yes…" came his weak reply.

Inko turned around and blinked as she saw Toshinori swaying back and forth as he sat on his bed. It seemed that changing had taken a lot of his strength. Frowning, the young woman made her way over to Toshinori and helped him to lean back. "Think you can eat?" She asked gently.

"I think so." Whispered the king in reply.

Inko sighed softly, she wasn't sure if the king was going to be like this the entire time, yet he almost reminded her of a child. Reaching over, the young woman pulled the blanket over his lap to help build up some warmth for the man. Toshinori frowned a little at the man and was about to ask her what she was doing until she just smiled and beat him to it. "You need to stay warm my king. You don't need to get worse." She giggled a little and sighed softly.

Toshinori nodded his head before leaning against the headboard of his bed as he let out a tired yet exhausted sigh. "Why did you try to push yourself so roughly today though?" asked Inko.

"Because I'm a king, I'm supposed to work hard, I'm supposed to help people in… in some way." Toshinori answered before looking up at the woman, his eyes almost seemed to be shining with many emotions that she couldn't decipher. "It is my job to do, no one else's. A job that was entrusted to me by my parents and my master." Inko frowned a little at that, she felt like it was more than just him being a king that it had to do with something else, something more than that. Yet, she couldn't be sure. For all she knew, he could be talking out of his sickness taking some kind of hold over his mind.

Inko shook her head at the man before reaching over and ran her fingers through the man's hair and gave him a soft yet gentle smile. "You still should let others help you. You can't do everything by yourself you know. After all, I'm here to help you right? You can trust me with some things you know that right my king?" Inko said with a smile.

"Toshinori."

"I'm sorry?"

"When we're alone… you… you can call me Toshinori." Whispered the king, causing Inko to blush a little. This had to be because he was sick. It had to be, there was no way that should the king have been well enough he wouldn't have even suggested such a thing in the first place.

"You'll forget about this anyway. Once you're better, you won't remember." Inko said before letting out a soft sigh.

"Inko I'm back!" said Mitsuki, causing the greenette and blonde to look over at the door. Mitsuki blinked as she wondered what she had missed but shook her head. Inko had a feeling that her friend was going to ask her what had happened later on. "I just hope he doesn't mind chicken broth. It's the only thing that I could think of that would be easy on his stomach." Mitsuki said with a small smile as she brought the tray over to Inko.

"Thank you. I don't think I'll be leaving the room tonight. So if you don't see me until tomorrow morning, I'll tell you what happened." Inko gave her friend with a small smile before Mitsuki wiggled her eyebrows at her friend. The green haired woman sighed softly before watching her friend leave the room.

"Is she usually like that?" asked Toshinori.

"Sometimes." Inko said with a sigh before walking over to the bed and sat on the edge. Looking at the king, she gave him a small smile as she said "Anyway, I hope you're hungry. While you relax, I'll make you some medicine that should help you feel better." Toshinori nodded his head as he slowly ate at the broth, a small spark hit his eyes then and for that Inko smiled at that.

Pushing herself up from the bed, she made her way over to the spare table in the room and pulled out some of the herbs that Mitsuki had brought for her. At least there was one thing that came in handy about being a slave. You learned a thing or two for sure. One of her past master's was a specialist in herbs. Such as making medicine for those who were sick like in Toshinori's case. At least the castle had many herbs here that she could use, or even herbs that she could use instead should they not have any of what she had first requested.

Making sure that it was grounded up into a fine powder, the young woman pulled out a glass of water and poured the contents into the glass before mixing it in properly. Smiling, the young woman looked over at the king and saw that he had finished eating and had set aside the tray where Inko could easily grab it later and take it to the kitchen.

"Full?" asked Inko.

"A little."

"Okay, think you can drink this for me? It'll help you feel better." Inko said with a smile on her face. Toshinori nodded his head slowly, though he looked so exhausted. The young woman carefully handed the king his glass of water before drinking its contents and sighed softly. Letting out a loud yawn, he rubbed at his eyes, it was a rather cute sight for sure.

"Sleepy…" He mumbled.

Inko giggled a little as she got up and helped Toshinori to lay down in his bed. "It'll do that. But it'll help you feel better faster." Inko explained before tucking the man in bed. Though if she was honest, it was rather odd to tuck a fully grown man in bed since he easily towered over her without any issue. Though, Inko watched as Toshinori looked up at her with innocent eyes that reminded her of a child. "Think you can sleep for me?" asked Inko with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah but… um… will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep?" asked Toshinori.

"Sure, sounds fair." Inko said before sitting on the other side of the bed. Just looking over at the man as she ran her fingers through his blonde locks. Toshinori just looked up at Inko and had a faint blush on his face. She couldn't help but just smile at the blonde as she asked "You okay?"

"Yeah… I'm just… rather surprised that you did so much for me." Toshinori said with a soft whisper before letting out a soft yawn.

"What do you mean?" asked Inko.

"My last maid didn't do much for me. Or at least, she did as she was asked of me and the others but never out of her own choices. Then after _that_ she was too awkward being near me so… I wasn't planning on having another personal maid until you get assigned to such a task." Toshinori explained softly, his voice sounded so broken. Didn't anyone help him out of the kindness of their hearts? It didn't make sense to her, did people only do their jobs just because they had been asked to?

Shaking her head, the young woman looked at Toshinori as she said "Don't worry about a thing my king. I'll look out for you, don't worry okay?"

"You said 'king' again…" Toshinori said with a small pout. It wasn't very noticeable, though Inko knew that she had to do something to cheer him up. Even though the pout was rather adorable on the man. Though, she found it to be rather improper to call him by his name without his title. Yet, then again, it wasn't like he would ever remember anything that happened after this anyway so, maybe it wouldn't hurt to go along with it right now.

"Okay, I'm sorry Toshinori." Inko said with a soft smile.

"I forgive you…" Toshinori whispered softly, a soft yawn escaping him before he scooted himself closer to Inko and let out a soft sigh. The young woman blushed a little before giving him a gentle smile. "Don't leave me Inko… don't leave me for Zuko."

"What makes you…? Toshinori, I'm not going to leave the castle with Zuko if that is what you're worried about." Inko said with a frown on her face, causing her to tilt her head to the side in confusion.

"Good…" He whispered softly, a yawn escaping him before he wrapped his arm around the woman's waist and nuzzled against her side. The green haired woman blushed madly before giving the man a soft smile. She knew that he was sick, he wouldn't remember a thing when he woke up. Running her fingers through his hair once again, the young woman knew that the king would sleep well, she just hoped though, that he never remembered this…

After all, if he knew that he did this he may avoid her at all costs.


	6. The Mind of a King

Toshinori didn't think that he would feel like this. Honestly, when he had first seen her, he felt something stirring in his heart. A feeling that he had thought had died long ago. The feeling that he had thought to have been lost to him when he had lost so much. His family, his teacher, he didn't want to feel such a feeling anymore but at the same time he craved it.

To feel a connection to someone.

Though, at the time, when he had first met her, first laid eyes on her he wanted to learn about her but at the same time he was scared. Scared that if he made any kind of connection with anyone that it would only hurt him in the end if he lost them.

It was already hard having Hizashi and Shouta being as close to him as they were but they could easily defend themselves so he didn't have to worry about anything.

Yet, what confused him was how close Zuko had gotten close to Inko. It didn't sit well with the man, it bothered him how someone could get so close to Inko and it was a nasty feeling. A bitter feeling in the pit of his stomach and it bothered him in more ways than words could ever hope to describe to him. It didn't help that he had made Inko go to clean up the grand hall just to get her away from the masked man.

It wasn't that he hated the man, far from it. Zuko was a great guard, there was no denying that but, what he had noticed was that his quirk… it was very familiar to him. As if he had seen it before but he just couldn't place it. Maybe he was over thinking it, he wasn't sure. Though, he knew one thing he just wanted the man to stay away from Inko. Inko was too good for that man.

Inko… it hadn't clicked into him that she would be so concerned about him. She went out into the pouring rain to try to convince him to leave the rain. The woman was concerned about him, tried to get him to leave the rain but he was stubborn. But, would she understand that he only did that to wash away his own pain? To wash away the tears that overwhelmed him to the point that he could have broken apart at the seams?

The feeling of her arms around his though, it made his heart thud quickly in his chest, even now just by thinking about such a thing. Why though? Why would he feel such a thing in his chest? In his heart for that matter?

Though, it was what happened after the rain that had him even more confused about the woman. He knew that day, he wasn't feeling good as he struggled just to leave his bed. Just too even get himself _dressed_ for the day was painful for him. Yet, when Inko saw him, she knew something was wrong without him having to say much of anything. Falling though, that was something that made him want to hide away. Him, a strong and powerful king falling over on a woman because of a simple cold.

Having to be carried to his room was another thing that he hadn't even live down either.

But… Inko, she went out of her way to make sure that he was taken care of. Even though he was rather clingy while she treated him. Afraid that she would leave him alone, being alone was a dark, cold and lonely place to be. Being around her though, it filled him with a warmth that he never knew that he could feel again. He hadn't felt that kind of warmth in years, not since his family anyway. Or even since his master, a feeling that someone cared about him. Not because they had to simply by his title but, because they were honestly concerned about him.

It warmed him up all the more at the feeling that she brought with him. Inko, she was pure, innocent and filled with so many feelings.

Feelings…

Something that he hadn't really displayed in a long time. He thought, that it was better this way. If anyone tried to hurt him, he wouldn't show it. Did it as a means of protecting his heart and other's. If he never showed any emotions while around someone, they couldn't be used against him. Then, he, his heart, and those around him would be safe for the most part.

With Inko though, he found himself allowing himself to feel emotions again. He didn't feel as lonely as before, or even as sad as before. But again, why was that? It felt odd, but it was such a welcoming feeling in his heart.

But he also knew that he was lying as well.

Everyone, all the slaves, but two people, knew his secret. The world, only knew him as 'The Emotionless King Toshinori Yagi'. The Quirkless King so to speak. Which, to the world is true, he is nothing more than a quirkless man but his other-self? He was also known by one other name, one that only his two most trusted friends knew.

He was also the captain of the guard. Captain All Might.

It was a secret that he has held onto for years, years of training, and years of trying to know what it is like to be someone else, someone who wasn't a 'king' but just a normal man so to speak. He had wanted to prove, that those with quirks weren't going missing, that they weren't being hunted down but, it seemed that in the last few years, those with quirks have been disappearing.

Toshinori knew that he had to do something. He had to make sure that he had to keep them all safe, but he wasn't sure what it was that was even causing all of this yet. But, he knew that he would somehow. He just had to keep searching, had to keep looking for any kind of clues as to what it was that was happening to those with quirks.

"Toshinori." Came a tired voice, causing the blonde to look up in confusion.

"Yes Shouta? Hizashi?" answered the king.

Hizashi and Shouta looked at the king and saw the troubled look on the king's face. Had the king been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed them come in? Or even heard them speaking for that matter?

"We've come to bring in our reports." Shouta grumbled.

"Okay, what did you find? Anything at all about the disappearances of quirks?"

"So far nothing. The only source of their disappearances seemed to be in the forests, and when the quirk user is alone." Hizashi answered with a frown on his face.

Damn, was that all they had really been able to find on their own? "How did you come across this anyway?"

"Zuko. He's still a little wet behind the ears when it comes to fighting but he isn't stupid. He seems to know more than what he lets on." Shouta calmly said, causing Toshinori to look at him in confusion. The man was still quiet the mystery, even his down to his quirk. Yet, he knew that he couldn't force such information from the man… at least not yet. Until the man had proven to be untrustworthy, then they will have to question him. For now, there was no reason for such a reason.

"Though answer me this Toshi, what were you doing snuggled up with your maid?" asked Hizashi with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Toshinori's eyes widened a little but his face still stayed the same. Turning his gaze away from his friends, he mumbled "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't even try to hide it." Shouta said with a sigh. "We went to check up on you since we heard you were sick and we find you snuggled up with Inko. She was asleep too and just seemed to be rubbing her fingers through your hair as she slept."

"I was sick, you know how I am. I'm clingy." Toshinori answered before getting up from his desk and went to walk away until he felt his friend's capture gear wrap itself around him to stop the man in his tracks. "Shouta, let go of me."

"I will if you answer me this Toshi." Shouta whispered softly, the blonde turned to stare at his friend. "Do you have feelings for Inko?"

Toshinori blinked at his friend and looked away. Did he have feelings for her? Is this what it was like to feel something so strongly for another in anything other than friendship? He couldn't help but frown a little in confusion, it all just seemed rather strange, to feel something like this in his heart. Reaching up, he grasped at the cloth of his vest, right over his heart as he felt it thud painfully in his chest.

"I don't know. I really don't know what I feel for her, but I know that I don't ever want to lose the woman." Toshinori whispered softly before allowing his hand to drop to his side once again. The blonde felt his friend's capture weapon drop to his side, allowing him to relax before turning back to his friends. "I don't know what I feel for Inko, but I know that it can never be anything other than friendship. I'm a king, and she is a slave, it can never work like that." He whispered softly before walking out of the study and down the hall.

Really, what was it that he felt for the woman. It was a puzzling thing, he enjoyed her company. He loved being around her, loved her laugh. Loved her smile, her compassion. Her kindness. Things that he never knew that he could enjoy ever again from a simple woman. But, he loved those things about her, along with her eyes.

He had heard that eyes were the gateways to your soul. Her eyes, lead him to a beautiful soul. One that he feared that he would tarnish with his own darkness and problems. Such as those who tried to take his crown or believed that killing his loved ones was the key to his downfall. Inko, it seemed was another task at that. She was the key to his heart, she could save him or destroy him in some way or another.

As for how that was, he had no idea. But he knew that if she left him it would hurt. If he lost her due to death then he'd be crushed.

Even waking up, with his arms wrapped around her was enough to make his heart thump painfully quickly in his chest. He felt like, she completed him in some way. That she was the missing piece of his heart, to his very soul that he never knew he was missing but, was that love? He wasn't sure. But he knew that he couldn't allow that to happen again. He couldn't allow himself to get too close to her.

Reaching up, he grasped at his chest once again and frowned a little at the feeling. His heart didn't seem to like the idea of not being around her and that concerned him.

"King Toshinori?" came Zuko's voice.

Toshinori turned and looked up at the masked man. He just stood there, concern in his posture as he stared at the young man. "Are you alright King Toshinori?" asked Zuko with a frown.

"I'm fine, just rather conflicted is all." Toshinori looked away, about to walk on until Zuko's voice stopped him.

"There is nothing wrong with feeling or showing emotions my king." Zuko said with a frown.

"Huh?"

"I see how you look at Inko. You have feelings for her, don't allow it to stop you. Allow yourself to feel what you feel for her before you lose any chance at being with her." Zuko said with a frown on his face. Toshinori just stared at him, as if it confused him as to why the young man would speak about such a thing as if he knew more than he let on. It didn't make sense to him. But he knew that this had to be something that he was hiding. This man knew more than he let on.

"Why do you speak like that?" asked Toshinori.

"I'm just able to read people. My dad told me it was something my mom could do. Could read him like a book when she was alive."

"Alive? You mean…"

"My mom died during childbirth. Dad told me that she got badly injured long before she found out that she was pregnant with me. Dad told me, that if he could go back in time, he'd get his younger-self to confess to my mom earlier and try to stop that from happening. So, I'm just trying to make sure that no one feels the same way he did." Zuko said with a calmness to his voice.

Toshinori looked at the young man, feeling his own pain. The poor boy, never knew his mother. Having been raised by his father and hearing his father's regrets about not confessing sooner. Could he do such a thing? Could he tell Inko that he did care about her more than a slave?

No, he didn't think that he could.

Closing his eyes, the king turned away from the boy as he said "I don't think I can tell her any such thing. I don't even know what it is that I feel for her anyway. Besides, a boy such as yourself could never understand what I feel."

"You're right. I don't. But I've seen it with my father. That man, was so in love with my mother he would have joined her in death if he could. But he had a duty to her, to raise me, the last piece of her that he had. I reminded him so much of my mother that it hurt him but he still lived for me. Trained me until his dying breath."

"You mean…"

"My father's heart couldn't live on without my mother. Died from his own injuries taking its toll on him and the loss of my mother. I was sixteen when he died and I was raised by his friends, and my older brother who knew of his quirk and how it worked." Zuko calmly said before he started to walk away. Toshinori turned and watched as the young man started to walk away. "Don't live your life with regrets. Do what your heart tells you to do, listen to it. It never strays from the right path." Zuko calmly said before leaving Toshinori's line of sight.

The king couldn't help but frown at the boy, he lost both of his parents. In a way, they are the same but, he couldn't help stare in confusion. The boy had to have gone through so much training to have that much control over his quirk. Something that Toshinori himself could understand, but he knew that he had so much to learn himself, as did the boy.

But, his words did hit him.

He knew that he felt something for the green haired woman. But, could he take that risk? To allow himself to feel anything for the woman when he himself, was afraid to admit that he felt something for her? It hurt him yes, it hurt him not to be near her. He felt happy being near her but he knew that he still had to be careful.

After all, what more could he do?

Wasn't like he could just tell her 'Oh, Inko by the way I have feelings for you, but it is completely forbidden because of our statuses. Yeah, that would turn out great. Closing his eyes, Toshinori also knew that he had to listen to what Zuko had said. He shouldn't live his life with regrets, he would just have to find a way to tell Inko the truth. He wanted to tell her, that he felt a great deal of affection for her but could he do such a thing?

At least, without making a fool of himself? Dear god he hoped that would be the case.

Closing his eyes, the king knew that it wouldn't hurt to try to tell Inko the truth. That he did care about her but, then what would he do about the whole 'being the captain as well' thing? He'll have to cross that bridge when it comes, but for now he couldn't tell her anything. He wanted it to be grand, he wanted to make sure that everything that he did, and it was for her.

Along with keeping everyone else safe but… she was more special to him. That was for sure.

Running a hand through his long blonde locks, the king knew that he had a lot on his plate now. But, at least if someone bothered him to marry someone he could say that he had someone in mind now. Though, that was going to be easier said than done now wasn't it?

* * *

Meanwhile, a man stared at the king from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile as he saw that he was really taking his words into account. It was the one thing that he wanted to ensure, that he made sure that the king lived his life to the fullest. It was the one thing that he wanted to do besides preventing the Great War.

A war that had taken everything from him. It was why he came here of all reasons and, to make sure that the king, started on his correct path sooner than later. As it would prevent the demise of the kingdom that would soon come to be.

Reaching into his shirt, he pulled out a necklace that had two rings on it. One, belonging to his mother and the other to his father. The man stared at the rings with a sadness in his eyes as he thought about his family. A family that he never should have lost in the first place. "I won't fail you dad, I promise that you and mom will be with me once again." He whispered softly before taking his leave to go work under Captain All Might.


	7. Rules of a Royal, Or Rules of the Heart?

Inko sighed softly as she wiped at her forehead and looked out the window. The young woman couldn't help but smile. The work had been a little easier for her lately, though she couldn't help but wonder what the king has been up too lately. It had seemed that since he had recovered from his cold, that he had avoided her. Did he still remember what had happened while he was sick?

She let out a soft sigh as she made her way toward his study to clean up. Inko figured that maybe it was better this way. That he forgot about everything and the like. This way, it wouldn't hurt anyone in the end.

Shaking her head, the young woman wandered around the halls until she could make her way to the study. Carefully, Inko knocked on the door to the study, causing the door to swing open and Inko stared in wide eyes as she saw a tall man in the study with the king. His hair, red as dancing flames. Well, that was best to describe his flaming beard and moustache.

He wore red robes, no vest but he had a matching deep crimson cape that hid all but his shoulders from view. Inko could only stare at the man with wide eyes looking at him in shock and confusion. "Toshinori, didn't think you'd have another maid in the castle." The man gruffly said.

"Oh, Inko. Sorry, I thought someone would have told you that the study is being used right now." Toshinori said before he pushed himself up and walked over to greet her. His expression was still as blank as ever but it was his eyes. They looked, happy to see her. At least, she knew he was happy but wasn't sure if it was at her or anything like that.

"Do you wish for me to leave my king?" asked Inko with a frown on her face.

"No, please stay." Toshinori said softly, gently grabbing her hand and pulled her along with him until she was sitting at the chair near Toshinori's. Inko felt rather nervous to be sitting in such a chair, to be next to him while he was having important meetings such as this but it made her feel a little more important. "So, Enji, what brings you by today? And, with your maid I see." Toshinori said softly.

"I have heard that you still refuse to take a bride, plus it is your turn to host the winter ball this year."

"I do not see how it is any of your business wither or not I take a bride or not." Toshinori calmly said before he turned his gaze to the woman next to Enji. The woman, shorter than the other man but still taller than Inko herself. She had white hair that reached the middle of her back. Her grey eyes shined with nothing but kindness and compassion for anyone in the room. She wore a simple icy blue dress that showed off her figure. If she was a maid, she wasn't dressed as one that was for sure. "Now, as for the ball, I already know that it is my turn to arrange it this year and I am nearly done. In fact, Inko here has done a grand job of cleaning up the grand hall."

Inko blushed at his words. She didn't think that she would get such praise from the man himself. "That is true, but you still need someone to accompany you to the ball." Enji said with a glare.

"I have someone in mind." Toshinori said with a narrow of his eyes at the man in front of him.

"It better be someone presentable. If I recall the last time, you brought only your guards with you last year. You need to bring a woman, hopefully a princess." Enji said with a snarl.

"Who I bring, again is none of your business. Do not question me, just because I am quirkless doesn't mean that you can give me orders. I am a king, just as you are."

"Do you not remember? I am the only one out of the known kings that has a quirk." Enji snarled out.

"But you also allow your anger to make your decisions." Toshinori pointed out with a calmness to his tone of voice.

"At least I feel something 'Emotionless King'."

Toshinori was about to attack, Inko knew that. His body language told her everything that she had to know. Acting quickly, Inko gently reached out and grabbed a hold of the blonde's hand and watched as the storm in his eyes started to calm down. Instead of a monstrous storm within his blue depths, his eyes calmed until only sparks appeared.

It seemed that her touch alone, was able to calm down the king and for that she was thankful. Toshinori took a deep breath as he said "I am, the way I am for a damn good reason. You know that Enji… now, before I do something I regret please leave." Enji just looked up at the blonde before shaking his head and turned to stare at the white haired woman. "Rei, let us leave at once." Rei, Inko knew was the name of the white haired woman, watched as she nodded her head before looking over at Inko and frowned a little at her.

Inko tilted her head a little at the white haired woman. Rei just smiled at Inko and waved to her before following the flaming king out of the room. Yet, as Enji had started to walk, Inko noticed a symbol on his shoulder. It was in the shape of flames. Strange.

"That is his royal mark." Toshinori calmly said, causing Inko to jump a bit as she looked up at Toshinori. The man still watched as the king left and closed the doors behind him. Though, the blonde slowly turned his gaze onto Inko as he calmly said "I'm sorry you had to see his wrath, but I do thank you for keeping me calm. It was one reason why I asked you to stay."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use you in such a way but you have such a calming effect on me." Toshinori calmly said before looking away. Was that a blush she saw on his cheeks? "I also wanted to thank you for taking care of me while I was sick." Toshinori let out a soft sigh before pushing himself up from his seat and made his way over to his bookcase, that was lined with many, many books. Inko blinked in confusion as she watched the man pull out a book and opened it only to see that it was not really a book, but a hidden pocket so to speak.

He pulled out something and walked over to her and the blush on his face seemed to darken a little. Inko blinked as she stared at the king as he looked at her shyly. "I don't know if you'll accept it but I do hope that you will. But please, accept this gift as my thanks. For well, being the only person to look out for me based on the goodness in your heart."

Inko blinked as she stared at Toshinori in confusion. "My king you don't have to-"

"I thought I told you that you could call me Toshinori while we are alone." Toshinori calmly said, giving her a sad stare. He remembered that? The man remembered, that he had given her permission to allow her to call him by his name?

"Okay… Toshinori."

"Anyway, please accept this gift." Toshinori said as he held out the gift in question. It was a necklace, a gold chain. Yet, the gem itself made her think of a cherry blossom. Pink, sparkling in the dim light of the study. Inko couldn't help but look up at him in shock and confusion. "I hope you'll accept it."

"But, this is far too much just for helping you Toshinori." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"Please…" Toshinori gave her a pleading stare, how could she turn that down? Looking at the gift once again, Inko couldn't help but feel like it was still far too much of a gift. But knew, that she had to accept it or risk hurting the king's feelings. Reaching out, she was about to grab the necklace before frowning and pulling her hand back. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No, but… I'll need help putting it on." Inko said with a soft smile on her face.

Toshinori blinked at her a few times before nodding his head. He made a gesture for Inko to turn around, which she does so without any issues. "Can you move your hair for me please?" He asked shyly as he held the necklace out in front of her. Inko smiled a little before reaching over and pulled her hair up above her head and felt the cold chain as Toshinori clasped it around her neck. "There we go."

Dropping her hair, the young woman held the necklace in her hand as she stared at the gem. It was beautiful, that was for sure. Though she couldn't help but wonder where he got such a thing. "Toshinori, where did you get this? It had to have cost you a fortune."

"I didn't pay anything." He answered her. When Inko looked over at him in shock, the young woman couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes. "It belonged to my mother. My father gave it to her when he first laid eyes on her. Honestly, it's a family heirloom."

"But, don't you want to give this to your future wife?" Inko asked with a frown on her face.

"Honestly, I do not think I'll ever marry. There is no woman who would want a man that cannot display your emotions." Toshinori said before pushing himself up and made his way over to his bookcase. "There is no woman, who can tolerate me. No woman, who can handle my… strange behaviour such as my clinginess among other things."

Inko frowned a little at that. Why would he talk down to himself like that? Shaking her head, the young woman pushed herself up as she made her way over toward Toshinori and gently held onto his hand. He looked down at her with a frown on his face. "You shouldn't think about yourself like that." Just as he was about to speak, the young woman held up her hand to cut him off. "No, do not disagree with me on this. Any woman, would be lucky to find themselves as your queen. Just because your face cannot display emotions, your eyes…" Inko looked up into Toshinori's eyes, her face tinted pink as she stared at him. "Your eyes themselves, are the gateways to your soul Toshinori. I can read them without any problem." She whispered softly.

"Oh?" He whispered softly, leaning closer to her.

"Yes, I myself, feel like your eyes can draw anyone to them. You are a kind man. An honourable man from what I have seen myself thus far." Inko went on, standing on her toes as she saw Toshinori drawing closer to her. "I find myself getting lost in them many times." She whispered softly.

Toshinori's eyes seemed to spark, flashing with desire and need. Inko felt her heart beating quickly in her heart as she stared at the man before her. His eyes, she knew that despite not liking storms herself she found herself captivated by his eyes. It was a feeling that she never wanted to lose, as it was a feeling that she thought that she'd never feel for anyone again.

"Toshinori…" Inko whispered softly.

"Inko…" The king whispered, mere inches from her lips as it looked like he was about to kiss her.

"Toshinori, we have some urgent news!" said Hizashi as the doors slammed open, causing Toshinori and Inko to fly away from the other.

"What is it Hizashi?" asked Toshinori, for a moment Inko thought that she heard a snarl in his voice but didn't comment on it.

"One of our men has returned with some news. It seems that he has started to find a location or some kind of pattern to the problem at hand." It seemed that he didn't want to speak about it in front of her. Honestly, she couldn't blame him for that.

"I'll return to my duties King Toshinori. Good day Hizashi." Inko bowed to both men and walked out of the room.

* * *

Toshinori groaned a little as he sat down on his chair. Of all the things that he had to have done, it had to be that he had almost kissed Inko! God, she must think of him as some kind of love struck fool- wait love? Shit. He did love her, fucking hell.

"Toshinori? You okay?" asked Hizashi.

Toshinori groaned as he laid his head on the desk, he couldn't help but whine at the thought of how close he had been to kissing the green haired woman. Of all the things that he could have done after talking to her about never finding himself a wife… he had to have been so close to kissing her only for Hizashi to stop them. He couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse of all things.

"Were you and Inko about to do something before I came in?" asked Hizashi.

Toshinori grumbled his muffled reply.

"Sorry what?"

He tried to say it again.

"Toshi you need to speak up and not muffle your words here."

"I almost fucking kissed her damn it!" Toshinori all but screamed, only for his eyes to widen in shock.

"Toshi, you can easily show your emotions with Shouta and I. We don't care if you show your emotions." Hizashi said with a frown on his face. Toshinori knew that, of course he knew that better than anyone in the world, but at the same time it was a habit that he had grown so used too. Having done such a thing for years, years of hiding what he really felt for anyone around him and it still bothered him to show his emotions to anyone.

"I know that Hizashi. You and Shouta are the only ones to see me display emotions in privet, Inko though… she can read my eyes." Toshinori said with a sigh before leaning back in his chair and whined a little.

"Keep whining like that and people will think you have a kid somewhere." Hizashi said with a shake of his head.

"Shut up. Now, what was it that you wanted to discuss with me?" asked Toshinori.

"Right, one of our men returned. Having followed some rumors about disappearances of slaves or even of some noblemen, all of them had disappeared in the forest. Some of them wandering off on their own and nothing being seen again other than scraps of their clothing." Hizashi said with a frown as he crossed his arms across his chest as he let out a soft sigh.

"Did they have quirks?" asked Toshinori.

"Yes, powerful ones at that." Hizashi answered with a frown on his face.

"So someone is stealing quirks, powerful ones mostly. What about ones that can create powerful ones?" asked the king.

"Even those, as there are many quirks that can create powerful ones themselves." Hizashi said with a soft sigh.

So, it was possible that he was back. The man that killed his master. Though for what it was, Toshinori wasn't sure what it could be. He knew that he had to make sure that no one was going to be in danger. But, how could he stop such a thing from happening, he didn't know. Yet he also knew that he couldn't cause any kind of panic or else he could be doing such a thing without any sign of a threat. Turning over to Hizashi, he calmly said "Make sure that no one leaves the castle grounds. We don't know what could happen, for all we know he could be out there waiting for any one of the servants to leave the castle grounds to be taken away."

Hizashi nodded his head as he bowed to his king before looking at the man in question. "What about the ball though? The other royals will be wanting to know if you have chosen a bride yet."

"Like what I told Enji, my choice or no choice of a bride is none of his concern, nor the others. I will not lie, I do have feelings for someone-"

"Inko for sure."

"Yes, Inko but… it can't be. I'm a king, I'm of royal blood and she isn't. I am to marry a princess. No one else." Toshinori said with a soft sigh before resting his elbows on his desk and buried his face against his palms. It almost seemed as if everything wanted to go against him in some way or another. That was for sure, though he just couldn't get over the fact that he seemed to have developed feelings for the woman but were they true or was it just his fascination?

"Toshi, want some advice?"

"Please."

"Okay, yes. You are a king, yes you are to stick to the rules of the royals and marry another royal. You are to never marry someone who isn't of royal blood."

"Great advice Hizashi." Growled Toshinori.

"But, there are other rules that you also must follow."

"Which are?"

"The rules of your heart."

"Huh?"

Hizashi gave his friend a small smile as he calmly said "You are to follow the rules of your heart. Your heart, for once has chosen someone to love and you aren't listening to that rule of all things. You are to love Inko, if other royals say otherwise. Just tell them that you are still listening to the rules, you are listening to the rules of your heart." He said with a chuckle before adding "And the rules of the royals, are meant to be broken for the rules of the heart."

Toshinori looked at his friend with wide eyes as he processed his words. Rules of the heart, and rules of the royals. One set of rules that he can listen to and the other he could ignore. But, what set of rules would he listen to? No, he knew the answer to that already. He wanted to listen to his heart more than anything. He was not going to allow the other royals to pressure him to marry someone that he doesn't love, and whom doesn't love him back.

His parents loved each other so why couldn't he marry for love.

"Thank you Hizashi."

"Now you also just have to tell her that you are All Might."

Well fuck.


	8. Flower Crowns

Inko hummed softly to herself as she wandered around the halls. She couldn't help but looked back down at the necklace that Toshinori had given her. It was, rather strange that he would give her such a gift. Why would he give her something as beautiful as this? This was something that he should give to his bride, not his slave.

Yet, he had said that there would be no such thing for him. Why though? Any woman would be lucky to have a man like him as their husband. Sure, he didn't show any emotions, but he was still a good man. Did they only see him as an unfeeling man?

Shaking her head, the young woman made her way outside hoping that maybe some fresh air would do her some good.

Walking out of the castle grounds, Inko couldn't help but inhale deeply. Feeling a little more at ease, but she couldn't help but frown a little in confusion. It was a little quiet here today, so she couldn't really be sure as to what it was that would make the guards to hold on their drills today unless something came up?

Looking around, she saw a sight that she didn't think that she would ever see. There, was the king sitting around a bunch of children. He was saying something to them but she couldn't really hear him very well. Tilting her head, the young woman made her way over to the group and tilted her head once again at him. "King Toshinori, what are you doing?" asked Inko with a frown.

The king flinched before looking up at the green haired woman. He stared at her in shock, or at least that was what his eyes showed her. "Uh… Inko, I thought you'd be inside with your chores." Toshinori, a faint blush on his cheeks as he avoided her gaze. Was this something that he didn't expect a lot of people to know about himself?

Folding her arms behind her back, Inko looked over at what the children were doing, and noticed… flowers in their hands. "Huh?" Inko said with a frown on her face, a little confused as to what it was that they were doing.

"Join us! King Toshi was teaching us how to make flower crowns!" One of the children said with a giggle.

Smiling a little, Inko turned to the king and saw that his ears were red. He was teaching them on how to make flower crowns. As if sensing what she was thinking, he whispered "My mother used to make them with my sister and I. I um… I sometimes look out for the children for the other slaves that don't want them to work while doing chores that are too hard for them to handle themselves. So, I take it upon myself as their king to tend to the children."

Inko giggled a little before sitting down on her knees as she gazed up at the king. His hands still fumbling with the flowers and it made Inko smile a little at the sight. Even while he was embarrassed he could still keep working on the task at hand, showing how committed he was to spending time with the children. Though if she was honest, she didn't think there were this many children here in the castle, but it wasn't as if she knew all of the slaves here in the first place.

"May I make one?" asked Inko with a smile on her face.

Toshinori blinked as he looked over at her and seemed to stare at her in shock. "I never knew how to make one myself as a child. I was busy working or helping other children." Inko gave him a sad smile, causing Toshinori to stare at her with sadness in his eyes. He nodded his head before looking around for any kind of flowers that she could use before his eyes fell on one of the many gardens that he had. "You can use any of my flowers Inko. I don't mind, I have plenty of flowers to spare."

Inko smiled at the king before pushing herself up and patted his shoulder, feeling him flinch a little at her touch. It seemed as if he was still nervous over her seeing him surrounded by a bunch of children. Did he think that she would think differently of him just because he was spending time with them? No, really it rather warmed her heart to see such a thing. To see that even though the king himself, had no children of his own that he still enjoyed being around them.

A soft smile grew on her face before making her way over to the gardens. Really, it was nice to see some kind of positivity here. Compared to past masters, past homes where she had to clean up after her masters, she had to say that this was the one she liked the most thus far. The king, Toshinori, treated her like any other person even though he did give her orders here and there but he was kind about it. Never pushing her to do something that she didn't want to do or even forcing himself on her and for that she was thankful.

Walking along the flowers, she frowned a little as she wondered what kind of flowers that she could use for a crown. She couldn't help but blush a little at the idea of making one for the king. _'It would be fair to give him some kind of flower since in a way, he did give me one.'_ the green haired woman thought to herself as she looked at the necklace that Toshinori had given her.

"That's pretty." Said a voice, causing Inko to yelp as she turned around and came face to mask with Zuko. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He said with a bashful smile while rubbing the back of his head and gave a nervous chuckle.

"It's okay." Inko set the necklace back under her dress before looking at the masked man with a frown on her face. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought the guards were patrolling."

"We are, I'm just doing mine within castle grounds to make sure no one escapes is all." Zuko said with a smile on his face before he looked around and frowned at Inko for a moment. "Why are you in the gardens?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

Oh, right he wouldn't know why she was out here. Normally she was inside cleaning up after the king or helping him or anyone else with something or another. Waving him off a little, Inko had a soft smile as she said "Well, the king is making flower crowns with the children here and I thought it sounded fun so asked if I could join." Inko giggled a little behind her hand before adding "Toshinori said I could go and get some flowers from his garden, he didn't care if I used his flowers."

"I remember that…" whispered Zuko.

"Remember what?" asked Inko with a frown.

"Nothing important. Have you decided on flowers?" asked Zuko with a tilt of his head.

"No, I kind of want to make one for Toshinori."

"Oh it's Toshinori now eh?" Zuko said with a chuckle, causing Inko to blush madly. Just as she was about to say something, he held up his hand before shaking his head. "Do not worry, I won't tell a soul. I think it shows how much the king trusts you." Inko frowned a little at that. What could her calling him by his name, without his title mean by trust? It didn't make sense to her though she knew that she cared about the man but… well she wasn't sure what it meant. "Anyway, as for a crown, maybe use these sun flowers."

"Huh?"

"He reminds people of sun flowers right? May as well use them for him." Zuko suggested with a grin on his face. "Let me help you." He offered before helping Inko pull off some sun flowers, making sure to keep the stems so she would weave them. At least, she was sure that was how you did such a thing in the first place when it came to making flower crowns.

Inko smiled a little at the thought. Yeah, in a way he does remind her of sunflowers, how could he not? His hair, his eyes shining with so many emotions yet at the same time being tall and strong for those around him. Yet, still showing a softer side to him at the same time. It made her wonder how she had been lucky to have him find her. Even though she was nothing more than a slave, she couldn't help but look up at the thought of her heart being in its own turmoil as well.

She knew that she felt something for the king, no doubt about that. Yet, even with what little time she had spent with the captain, well it was still hard to say what she felt for him as well. It had been a while since she had seen him now that she thought about it. Did he feel guilt over putting her in danger even though he hadn't meant for that to happen?

Maybe she'll have to ask the king to let her see All Might at some point. So tell him that he had no reason to be feeling guilt over what had happened. It wasn't as if he had planned for her to fall over like that.

"Inko?" came Zuko's voice, causing her to look back up at the masked man. Her silence must have worried him. "You okay?"

"Sorry, I was lost in thought." Inko said with a small smile before looking at the small pile of flowers in her hands. "Thank you. I just hope that you don't overdo it okay?" Bowing to the man, Inko started to make her way back to the king and the children.

The children were laughing and giggling while they took turns hiding in the king's cape or just sat on his lap. The king of course, just kept working on crowns while letting the children do as they wanted. Even a little girl climbed up onto his shoulder as she giggled in his ear. Inko couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was rather cute and made her want to giggle at the sight.

Making her way over to the king, the young woman knelt next to the blonde as she asked "So, how do I do this?"

Toshinori turned to Inko and blinked at her before holding up his own flower crown and said "Watch." Inko watched the blonde as his large hands seemed to weave the stems together, making sure that they were knotted and weaved much like you would with someone's hair. Inko couldn't help but stare in awe. "Like that." He said as he finished a flower crown of roses the thorns having been removed so they wouldn't poke at anyone's head.

Inko stared at the red roses with wide sparkling eyes, she loved roses and it made her smile at the crown all the more. "It's lovely, though why did you pick roses? How did they get here?" asked Inko with a frown on her face as she looked up at the man with confusion. The children giggled a little as Toshinori had a faint blush on his face before looking away. "King Toshinori?"

"Um… I… uh…" He looked like he was struggling with the words before shaking his head quickly. His hair flying everywhere until the two long locks soon fell back against his shoulders and chest when he had stopped the motion. He quickly raised his hands with the crown before settling it atop of Inko's head carefully and looked away once it was neatly placed upon her head. Inko couldn't help but stare in shock as he set the crown of roses atop of her head. Her, of all people.

But why?

If that was going to be the case, then she would have to return the favor as well. Smiling, she started her own attempt at making the crown of sunflowers. Though, it seemed easier said than done as her fingers couldn't seem to work the way that she had seen Toshinori do it. Frowning a little, the young woman tried again, and it went nowhere. The flowers just unraveled themselves in an instant.

"Like this." He reached over, causing the young woman to blink as green eyes met blue ones, their gaze stayed focused on each other for a brief moment. No, it may have seemed brief to those around them but between the two of them it had felt like an eternity. "Carefully now." He whispered softly, causing Inko to look down and watched as he seemed to guide her fingers to weave the stems to bind the flowers. Inko couldn't help but stare in awe at how gentle Toshinori held onto her fingers.

Toshinori's fingers were strong yes, calloused from years of using some kind of weapon that she figured was a sword. It made her wonder how long he had to learn until he mastered the use of a sword. How many fights the man had been in until he was a hardened hero so to speak, a hardened warrior.

It was rather amazing really. Someone who had seen many things, most likely many fights and the like and yet, he was able to be so gentle with his hands as well.

Before she knew it, the crown was done and rested in her hands, along with Toshinori's large hands holding her own. "They're beautiful." Inko whispered softly, gesturing to the flowers being made into something so simple, having made them even more beautiful than before.

"Yes… they are." Toshinori whispered softly, causing Inko to look up at the man. Seeing that it wasn't the flowers that he was looking at but her eyes. Blushing softly, the young woman wasn't sure what was going through the king's head, but it made her wonder if he was talking about the flowers in their hands.

Toshinori leaned closer to the green haired woman, causing her to blush a little more. She wasn't sure what it was that he was going to do but it had her heart hammering in her chest. The young woman was sure if he was going to do what she thought he was going to, that her heart would burst from her chest. "My king?" Whispered Inko.

"Inko…" Whispered Toshinori, his eyes half open as he gazed at her with that strange spark of emotion flashing in his eyes. It was the one thing that she couldn't read from him. It was an emotion that she, herself was unfamiliar with. Something that she herself had never felt in her entire life.

"Miss Inko!" called one of the children, snapping both adults out of their trance as they turned to the child in question. It was a little girl with black eyes that seemed to sparkle with a solar system. "What are you going to do with your flower crown? King Toshi gave you his."

Inko looked at the crown in her hand, then looked up at Toshinori. He seemed to be staring at her in confusion as well. She had known who she was going to give her crown too once she made it, though she hadn't expected him to give her one in turn. Pushing herself up, Inko held the crown in her hands, feeling the king's hands drop from hers as she took a careful step toward the king and gave him a soft smile. His own eyes looking almost… hopeful.

"Well, since our dear king has given me a crown of my own I think it is only right that he gets one in return don't you children agree?" asked Inko.

"Yeah!" They all cheered.

Inko giggled a little before carefully setting the crown atop of the blonde's head, having to lift the two locks through the crown so they rest against the stems and flowers. Toshinori blinked his blue eyes in confusion before a faint blush was growing on his face once again. In a way, he looked rather adorable with a blush on his face. It made her rather curious as to why he was feeling such a thing but at the same time it made her feel happy that she had caused such a thing from the man.

"Why me?" asked Toshinori softly.

"Because I think sunflowers suit you. You're strong, protective and kind even if you don't show it on your face, you do in other ways." Inko said with a smile on her face before kneeling back down on the grass with the children. They all giggled at the stammering king, which again had confused the green haired woman but figured that he was only like this because he wasn't used to someone giving him something no matter how small.

Turning back to face the king, she saw a faint smile growing on his face. One the children hadn't noticed, but she did. He smiled, the king had a true smile on his face. Her heart raced within her chest as she stared at the blonde man next to her. Wanting to engrave this image to her memories, wanting to draw this moment so she could treasure it for the rest of her life.

Soon, the smile faded as the king turned to stare at the green haired woman with his blue eyes looking at her in concern. "You okay?" He asked softly.

"I am. I just saw a beautiful sight that I wanted to remember forever is all." Inko said with a smile on her face. The king just blinked at her in confusion, wanting to ask her as his lips moved to speak out his question until he let out a loud yelp in shock.

"Gah!" He shouted, as the children all but tackled him to the ground. Inko couldn't help but giggle a little. Even though his expression didn't change again, she saw his eyes sparkle in happiness. A feeling that he could still feel, she could tell that much. Though, she just hoped that this feeling never left the king, if anyone deserved to feel happiness, it was him.


	9. What is Love?

Inko sighed softly as she wandered around. It was a little chilly outside, though that was to make sense. The cold season was coming around, so she knew that she would have to get herself some winter clothes should she ever want to go outside. Though, for now she knew that she would have to still be careful. There was no way of knowing how cold it would get here, the young woman just hoped that she could handle the cold season when it arrived.

"Inko!" shouted Mitsuki, causing the green haired woman to turn around and blink in confusion. Only to smile at her friend. It had been a while since they had seen each other. Both, having been busy with one thing or another.

"Mitsuki, what have you been up too?" asked Inko with a smile on her face.

"Oh, same old, same old. I won't lie, I'm rather happy to be here. King Toshinori hasn't tried anything with me or anyone since he bought us all." Mitsuki said with a smile, though let out a soft sigh. Looking over at her friend, Mitsuki tilted her head a little as she asked "Where did you get this?" Mitsuki frowned as she pulled at the necklace, not enough to tug that it would hurt her friend, but enough to gain Inko's attention on the item in question.

Carefully, Inko took the blossom gem back from her friend before tucking it back under her dress. "The king gave it to me. Said he wanted to thank me for going so far out of my way to help him." Looking at her friend, Inko added "I told him that he should give it to his future bride but he said because of how he is, there is no bride to give it too."

"Really?" Mitsuki said with a frown on her face.

Nodding her head, the young woman sighed softly before a soft smile graced her lips. "I honestly don't know why he thinks such a thing about himself, but I know that any woman would be lucky to marry him."

"You sound like a woman in love." Mitsuki said with a grin on her face.

Inko blinked a little at the woman. "Love? How can I love a man when I don't even know what love even really is?" Inko said before turning away from her friend as she sighed softly. "Love is something that we never had Mitsuki."

"My parents did…"

"That's your parents, not the rest of us. You know what love is Mitsuki, I never did. No one did. The only love we had was love of siblings, sisters, and friends. Not the kind of love that your parents had before they had you which only grew." Inko said with a frown on her face. Tears building up in her eyes before she wiped at them quickly. "Love is something that I don't think is something that I could ever feel or comprehend. I wouldn't even know the first sign of me being in love with someone."

Mitsuki just frowned at her friend. Inko felt her own sadness growing at the thought of never knowing if she loved anyone. Of never knowing what it felt like to be loved by another who wasn't a good friend, or someone she thought of as family. It was a feeling that she rather envied others for. Why couldn't she feel or even know what it was like to be in love of all things?

"Inko." Mitsuki said in a soft whisper, causing the green haired woman to look up with a sniffle. "Love is something that you just know. It hits you in your heart. You feel a connection to someone, a connection that you feel can make you stronger or could even destroy you if you are that much in love with someone. They can make you happy without even trying, and you do the same for them. They know when you are happy, when you are sad…" Mitsuki said with a frown, reaching out as she pulled her friend into a soft hug and rubbed her back. Hoping to bring comfort to her friend. "If you are in love, you just know if you are."

"But how can you be sure of that?" asked Inko.

"Because I've felt love once myself Inko. Though it wasn't meant to be, but it didn't destroy me. I know that there is someone out there for me. Just like there is someone out there for you, you just have to have a little faith." Mitsuki pulled back and wiped at her friend's tears and grinned at her. "I still think the king likes you though. Come on, look at that necklace? He must like you at least a little bit more than a friend." Mitsuki said with a small smile before patting Inko on the head. "Don't allow yourself not to feel love and be in love Inko. It's a wonderful thing for anyone to feel and if anyone deserves it, it's you."

Inko blinked as she stared at her friend for a moment. Tears still at the corners of her own eyes before she blinked them back. She wasn't sure what it was that she felt for the king, but knew that she did indeed feel something for the man but couldn't really understand it herself. She just knew that it was there that was for sure.

Closing her eyes, the young woman took a deep breath before allowing herself to open her green pools and looked at her friend. Mitsuki had a big smile on her face as she said "There's the Inko I know. Now, I have to go, I have some dishes I have to clean from lunch. I'll see you later okay?"

"Yeah." Inko said with a smile before making her way outside, she would need some fresh air. Plus, she wanted to do that little sketch that she had wanted to do since she saw the king's smile. It was still engraved in her mind, and she wanted to have it on paper.

Looking around, she found a nice tree to sit under. Smiling to herself, the young woman made her way over to the tree and sat down. Making herself comfortable before pulling out some paper and the ink and quill before she started to draw Toshinori with a smile and a crown of sunflowers. Just like how she saw it in her mind.

It was nice, that she finally got a chance to see the man smile. No matter how small it had been, it was still a smile either way. Drawing the jawline, it was a little difficult for her to draw but she got it right. Smiling at the sight, she squinted her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the corner of her lips as she worked on drawing his hair and the crown of flowers. If only she could colour this in.

Tilting her head, she went to working on the smile itself, how it would reach his eyes as well as his lips. Inko didn't think that she would ever see the day really. That she would see the king smile, no matter how small the smile was, it was there. It was still something that no one had ever seen from the man and it made her heart soar at the sight of it. To be the one person, to see him smile, it made her happy.

Though, at the same time she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him to have him lock away his emotions like that. To make him… scared to show his emotions to others. Was he doing it to protect himself or was it something more than that? She couldn't really be sure, but knew that she had to do something to help him. To show him that it isn't wrong to show his emotions, but knew that something had to be done.

Sighing softly, the young woman looked down at her drawing and smiled a little at the art. It was something that she didn't think that she could see any time she wanted now, but she would have the king's smile in her mind forever yes, but it would be nice to be able to see it all the time from the king himself, but knew that would be easier said than done.

Closing her eyes, the young woman let out a soft sigh. It just seemed like a dream that would never come true for her. Just wanting to see the man smile more, a smile like that was a crime to waste.

Reaching up, the young woman placed a hand on her chest, right over her heart as she tried to think on the feeling that was swimming around her heart. What was it that she felt for the king? It was a similar feeling to what she felt for the captain but the king was stronger for sure. Sighing softly, the young woman lowered her hand as she leaned against the tree, just wanting to clear her thoughts. Or at the very least, sort them out.

"Meow."

Inko looked up and blinked a little as she saw the little black kitten in the tree above her. Frowning a little, the young woman pushed herself up after tucking the drawing into her dress and stared up at the black kitten. From what she could make out about the poor thing, it was pure black with white paws and the tip of his tail was also white.

Poor thing, it was stuck in the tree. Looking around, Inko didn't see many people around and shrugged her shoulders. Reaching down, she pulled up her dress and tied a knot in the fabric to her hip to give herself free movement so she could climb without any kind of restriction.

Nodding to herself, the young woman started to climb the tree, being careful not to slip or fall or worse, frighten the poor kitten. The kitten let out little meows as if pleading for help as it looked down at the ground. Its tail swaying from side to side as it looked over and soon its gaze was on Inko. "It's okay sweetie, don't worry I'll help you." Inko said softly, hoping that the kitten wouldn't hurt her when she reached it.

The kitten just meowed at her in that cute little voice causing Inko to strengthen her resolve to help the poor thing. Carefully, she pulled herself higher in the tree, it was rather high off of the ground and for once she was happy that she had no issues with heights. But she had a feeling that today she would start to fear being so high up.

Shaking her head, the young woman kept pulling herself up higher and higher in the tree and grinned as she made it to the thick branch and giggled a little before sitting on the branch. "It's okay, come on." Inko said as she reached a hand out, rubbing her thumb against her index and middle finger trying to call the poor thing over to her. The climb down would be rather difficult for her, though she knew that it still had the kitten being out of this tree.

The kitten meowed and still seemed scared. Nervous even and Inko couldn't blame the poor thing for that. They were still rather high up in the tree. "It's okay, I'm here. Come on little one." Inko said softly, hoping that the cat would at least respond to her voice. The cat seemed to have responded to her, as it slowly turned around and slowly started to make its way toward her.

Inko couldn't help but smile as the kitten slowly crept its way toward her. It seemed to trust her, though most animals normally didn't trust anyone for that matter. Though, they weren't stupid either, they knew who they could, and couldn't trust. That much she knew for a fact, as she remembered a dog one of her past masters had and the poor dog only seemed to like her out of everyone in the manor.

"There we go." Inko said as she carefully lifted the kitten into her arms. The kitten purred in her arms as it nuzzled against her. She'll have to check if it's a girl or a boy later. Right now, she had to find a way down from the tree.

"Inko?" called a voice, causing her to look down and blinked as she saw Captain All Might looking up at her with a tilt of his head. "What are you doing up there?"

"This kitten was stuck in the tree, I tried to get the poor thing down." Inko said with a frown on her face.

All Might frowned a little as he scratched the back of his head. As if trying to think on something himself, it made Inko wonder what could be going on in his head right then. Inko looked down at the kitten as she saw the little animal still purring away. Curled up in her arms as if just enjoying the idea of being held. Inko couldn't help but smile at the little creature as she carefully ran her fingers through the long black fur.

"Um, Inko may I ask something?" asked All Might.

"Yeah?"

"How do you plan to get down from there?" asked the blonde captain.

Inko just blinked a little in confusion. It seemed that it never hit her on how to really climb down. Climbing up was easy as she could use both hands. But now that she was carrying a kitten, it would make her journey down all that much harder for her. Oh boy, she didn't know how to get down at all. "I don't really know." Inko said with a frown.

"Hold on, I'll go get Shouta, he should be able to lift you with his capture weapon." All Might said.

Inko could agree with that, his capture gear was rather strong when it came to lifting people. After all, she already had such an experience from when All Might had asked her to join them on their training as a means of motivation for the men. She hadn't expected that she was to be used in such a way even though he felt bad about her almost getting killed.

 _Crack_

"What was that?" Inko said, looking around only to feel the branch lowering a little. Her eyes widened when she figured out what it was that was going to happen. The branch was breaking, it couldn't support her weight at all! "All Might!" Inko shouted out, the man hadn't gotten far from when he had decided to go and get Shouta, yet when he looked back his eyes widened in shock. "Help me!" Inko said as the branch finally snapped and she started to fall forward.

A scream ripped its way out of her throat as she tightened her arms around the kitten, though knew if she landed on her front, the poor kitten would squished from her weight. Looking around, she quickly released her hold on the kitten, but managed to throw the poor thing a little distance away since she saw that the height that they were at now, wouldn't hurt the poor thing.

"Inko!" shouted All Might as he rushed toward the falling green haired woman.

The green haired woman looked down and stared in wide eyes as All Might rushed toward her, skidding to a top as he held his arms open as he got himself ready to catch her. Though, what neither had expected was the moment Inko slammed into the huge blonde man, he was knocked off of his feet and rolled with her in his arms a few times until he rested atop of her. It wasn't just that that the woman noticed though, far from that.

It was a warmth on her lips.

Opening her green eyes, she looked up and saw that All Might still had his eyes closed, not seeming to be registering what it was that she was feeling right now. "Ow." He said, his lips moving with her own. Inko didn't know why but this felt right. It was a feeling that she had never known that she wanted to have, though she found it odd that she had wanted this from All Might, when before she had wanted it from the king and… she still does. What was wrong with her?

All Might soon opened his eyes and blinked his blue pools as he stared at her in shock. It seemed that he had finally registered what it was that had happened.

He was kissing her, and she was kissing him!?

He quickly pulled himself back, his face a deep crimson as he stared at her in shock. Inko couldn't help but sit up and cover her mouth in shock. The man in front of her, his eyes, wide, filled with shock but at the same time his eyes told her something else. It was an emotion that she herself couldn't describe again, it wasn't desire, but it was something more.

Inko just felt her eyes pool with tears before she pushed herself up.

"Inko." All Might said, lowering his hand from his lips as he reached out to her. Wanting to grab onto her it seemed to make her stop in her tracks. Yet, Inko just backed away. The kitten meowed up at her, causing Inko to look down for a moment before quickly scooping the kitten up in her arms and made a mad dash into the castle. All Might yelling out to her to wait but she wouldn't. She just kept running, and running and running until she made it back to her room. She wanted to hide, wanted to escape the fact that she had, indeed, lost her first kiss to the captain of the guard.

It wasn't his fault, she knew that better than anyone. But it didn't mean that it didn't hurt less as it was neither one of her choices but… at the same time, kissing him had felt so right, when at the same time it had felt so wrong to her. But why that was, she had no idea.

Maybe she would never know the reason for it.


	10. To Save A Child

Inko couldn't believe that that had happened. Of all the things that she had to do, she had to have kissed All Might. It wasn't that she hated the feel of his lips onto hers. No, far from it. It was as if, it was the right thing to do to kiss the man. But, how could that be? Why would it feel right to kiss him in the first place? It just didn't make sense to her.

Rolling onto her back as she gazed up at the ceiling, Inko couldn't help but wonder what she was to do. Looking over, she saw the kitten that she had rescued, learning that it was a girl. She had decided to name the kitty Usagi and couldn't help but smile at her with affection. Reaching over, Inko pet the kitten and heard the little one meow at her.

Giggling a little, Inko knew that Usagi right now was her only comfort for the time being. At least between jobs, she had avoided both the king and All Might for at least two weeks. All Might, because of the accidental kiss. Toshinori, because well, All Might was his guard so there was a chance that he knew of the kiss and wanted to see if she had meant for it to happen or something along the lines of an accident.

Covering her face, Inko whined a little at the thought of facing the blonde captain. What was wrong with her in the first place? Why was she so flustered in the first place?

Moving her hands from her face, the young woman blinked as she tried to think on what she could do. It wasn't that she could avoid the king or captain forever. It kind of made it hard for her to do such a thing in the first place. She knew that there had to be something that she didn't fully understand so how could she expect the king, or even the captain to understand that it was really an accident?

But at the same time, she didn't regret what had happened.

Reaching up the young woman touched her lips with the tips of her fingers as she recalled the warmth that she had felt from his lips until it all but swirled within her heart. It was the same feeling that she had with the king and how he has treated her. Even just the small things and she felt so much warmth deep within her heart. It was warm, and it made her feel safe for the first time in her life.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, the young woman let out a soft sigh as she gazed back up at the ceiling. What was she to do? What were these feelings that swirled around in her heart? What did that mean for her in the first place? It was so confusing and it made her feel rather conflicted for some reason.

Sighing softly, the young woman pushed herself up from her bed and looked at Usagi. "Well, what do you think Usagi?" asked Inko.

The kitten just let out a loud purr as she curled up on the bed a little more. Giggling a little at the little creature, Inko climbed off of her bed before making her way toward the door and sighed softly as she opened the door and looked around. It was rather quiet, for that she was thankful. No king, no All Might, no guards at all. It gave her some time to herself.

Though, she wouldn't mind being able to talk to her friend though Mitsuki was most likely busy with other things going on.

Running a hand through her loose locks of hair, the young woman started to walk down the hall. Maybe a nice walk outside would work. She would just have to go to the other side of the castle grounds is all. She knew that All Might trained on the north end of the castle, so she would just have to go to the south end and just be by herself is all.

As she walked, her thoughts went to All Might. The man, she had to admit she did like him. He was kind, caring and protective of all people who lived within the castle grounds that much she knew for a fact. Not to mention, he seemed to be as lonely as the king himself and never allowed anyone to see such emotions other than the smile that was always on his face. It made her wonder why he would hide such a feeling as his sadness. So he wouldn't worry anyone?

It made her even more confused about the man, but knew that he had his reasons for hiding such things from her in the first place. No, not just her but everyone in the castle.

Though, the king was a different story. He didn't show any kind of emotion, didn't put up any kind of a front in order to hide his fear or anything behind a great smile. But, just to hide everything. The only thing that she knew for certain, was that the man was indeed, hiding his own deep emotional pain and she could see that in his eyes.

Eyes, so deep, so blue yet so powerful was the one thing that couldn't lie. The one thing that could never hide what it was that he was really feeling. It was something that Inko could read without any problem unless you count the few emotions that would flash in his eyes while he was around her. The way he would just stare at her, leaning toward her and it made her wonder what it was that he was going to do.

Her heart hammered around in her chest just thinking about it.

Reaching up, she placed a hand over her thumping heart hoping to get it to calm down. Why merely thinking about the king caused such a reaction from her in the first place was unknown to her. Frowning a little, the young woman tried to shake those thoughts from her head. That the king didn't really cause such a reaction from her but it was all in her head. That it was her own imagination that was causing all of this from her. Though, she couldn't be sure if that would be the case.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman walked out of the castle and took in a deep breath. Feeling her nerves relax a little as she felt as if all of her nerves were starting to calm down.

Though, her memories would allow her to forget. It seemed, that no matter what happened her mind couldn't or wouldn't forget about the kiss. Her face lit up in a blush at the thought of the kiss, and she couldn't help but frown at the thought as her hands covered her flaming cheeks as she tried to stop the feeling. Though she wasn't sure how she would get it to stop in the first place.

Shaking her head, the young woman wandered around. She felt a slight chill running up her spin, indeed the cold season was coming upon them all. She'd have to start remembering to bring an extra layer with her to help keep her warm should she ever want to wander around during her free hours.

Rubbing her arms, the young woman wandered around, feeling the cold breeze as it seemed to circle itself around her before causing her to sneeze. "I'll have to start bringing it with me sooner than later." Inko mumbled to herself before looking around once again. It was rather quiet, that was for sure. Though she could faintly hear the sounds of swords clashing from the other side of the castle thanks to the silence that surrounded her.

Though, she just hoped that no one knew that she was here. After all, she came out here to be alone. To allow herself to sort out her thoughts and feelings about everything.

No matter what, she just wasn't sure what it was that she had to be so worried about. It just seemed, rather odd that she would feel such a thing for either man. The king had his moments where he was kind, but he was also a true leader even if he pushed himself a little too hard. Such as the time when he had gotten a cold, he was willing to push himself to the point of fainting from his fever to get his job done for the day.

Though, he was also rather adorable at the same time. He was so cute, clinging to her like that of a child and it made her wonder if he had yearned to be taken care of by someone for a change. That he wanted someone to care for him and for his wellbeing for a change instead of the other way around.

It made her wonder, if it was due to the loss of his family. That the loss had caused him to fear to lose anyone else. The fear, of allowing anyone to get too close to him and of course those he felt some kind of connection for he was rather clingy too at the same time. It made her wonder if it was all due to the loss having taken its toll on him. Maybe that was what made him try to hide away his emotions? She had no idea, though it was a good theory for the most part.

Shaking her head, the young woman looked up at the sky, seeing that it was starting to get a little cloudy. The sun's light fading from the castle as she walked around. Hard to believe that soon, there would be snow. Though if she was honest with herself, she rather liked snow. It was a beautiful thing and it was also very enjoyable to play in. It made her giggle at the thought.

It also made her think if Toshinori ever took the children out to play in the snow as well. To see him, all dressed up to protect himself from the cold and of course playing with the children. All of them throwing snow balls at him causing the children to giggle and laugh. Inko could even picture him laughing but, at the same time it made her wonder what his laugh would even sound like. Was it emotionless like his face or, would it be filled with the hidden emotions that he kept deep down in his heart?

So many thoughts, so many questions but yet again no answers to any of them.

Sighing softly, the young woman felt like that no matter what, she would never get the answers that she so craved. Answers that would always elude her no matter if she asked them or figured them out for herself she would have no way to confirm them in the first place.

"Maybe it is better that I never know his reasons for anything. I may not even like the answer." Inko said to herself with a soft sigh. After all, what was she to do? What could she do in the first place? It wasn't as if any kind of answers would just be dropped into her lap in the first place. That would be rather silly and rather convenient at the same time.

"Help me!" shouted a voice, causing Inko to look over and blink. Outside of the castle walls was a little boy running for dear life. A giant of a man, huge claws tipping his fingertips as he tried to attack the poor boy. He was breathing heavily and rather raspy as if he was also crying out of fear for his very life. Inko rushed forward as she told him to hold on. That she would go and save him, she couldn't help but gasp as the boy tripped and let out a loud cry of pain.

"Don't worry I got you!" Inko shouted the boy before opening the gate and rushed to the boy. He looked over at her in shock but kept running. Inko looked around and used her quirk as the pink aura surrounded her hand. Pulling a rock to her before throwing it at the man who dared to chase this poor boy. The man seemed dazed, that gave her enough time to rush to the poor boy and help him.

The boy sniffled and it made her curious as to what it was that had caused him to run this far away from his home. Carefully, she lifted the boy into her arms as she said "Do not worry, I'm here." She said with a smile on her face. The boy had shaggy long light blue hair and red eyes. He had a cut over his right eye and another at the left side of his lips. Then of course there was the beauty mark under the right side of his lips.

His skin was so pale, it made her wonder if the boy was sick. His health could be at risk if he was. He even looked a little underweight, how long has it been since he ate? Shaking her head, the young woman just smiled at him as she said "Come on, I'll take you to the castle and get you some food." She giggled a little at the thought. The boy looked up only for his eyes to widen in shock. Inko frowned a little at that, wouldn't he want to eat? Wouldn't he want some kind of shelter from the upcoming cold season?

It was then that she felt hot breath breathing over her. Her own skin went pale, and her blood felt ice cold as she slowly turned her head and stared with wide eyes at the creature, no, at the man whom sharpened his claws against the other as he stared down at her. Inko couldn't help but gulp in fear as she gave a weak laugh. "Uh… sorry gotta go!"

With those words, Inko ran as quickly as she could toward the castle grounds. She had to hurry, had to carry and take this child to safety! There was no time to waste that was for sure.

Inko ran, ran as quickly as she could. Pushing all of her own physical energy into her legs in the hopes that it would take her back to the castle. She had to keep running, had to keep going or risk getting herself and this child killed. The boy tightly held onto her dress, his little body trembling in her arms as he tried to keep himself together. Trying to get himself to stop crying at the man monster that was going to attack or worse yet, kill the both of them.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here. Don't worry about a thing okay?" Inko whispered softly to the boy, he looked up at her with a frown on his face before nodding his head a little at her. It seemed that he was trying to put up a brave face, but also trying to stop himself from feeling fear.

Though really, she had no idea if they would even get to the castle in time in the first place. It made her worry for the boy, more than her own life.

"Get back here!" growled the man, his claws sharpening in the air as he kept slashing them together as if getting himself ready to rip their flesh from their very bones. It made Inko shudder at the thought, though she knew that she had to keep running, had to keep moving forward. There was no way that she would allow them to be killed, she would do all she could to keep this boy safe even if it meant giving up her own life.

Yelping out in shock, Inko stepped on a stray rock, causing her to slip and fall onto her side, not wanting to hurt the boy further with her own weight.

Groaning a little in pain, Inko looked up and blinked a little in a daze as she looked up and blinked as the man gave a twisted smile at her and the boy. "I will dine well tonight!" The man said with a sickening laugh before he went to slash his claws at the two. Inko screamed out bloody murder as she cried out for help.

 _"Gah!"_

Inko's eyes snapped open as she looked up and stared in shock as she saw the king standing before them. Toshinori had his arms spread out before him, blood stained the grass beneath the giant blonde as he stood proudly in front of Inko and the small boy. Inko's eyes filled with tears as she whispered "Toshinori…?"

Toshinori looked at the man before the villain before lowering his arms and looked over his shoulder. Inko saw anger flashing in his eyes, though it wasn't at her. No, more as if he was mad at the villain that had attacked her and this small boy. Then of course she saw concern in his blue eyes. "I'll protect the both of you." He whispered to her before turning back to the villain as he calmly said "You dare attack a defenceless woman and a boy? You have no honor do you?"

"Who needs that shit when I can just feed."

The man just laughed before rushing forward and slashed his claws at Toshinori.

The blonde quickly pulled out his sword and blocked the strike. Lifting his leg and kicked at the man before rushing forward. Toshinori swung his sword at the man, slashing at his chest yet the villain managed to get a strike here and there.

The king wouldn't allow anyone to get hurt again. Inko couldn't help but watch with wide eyes. Toshinori's eyes, burned with so much rage and anger that she didn't think that he would be the same again.

He rushed forward and swung his mighty sword at the villain, hitting him in the chest. The villain yelled out in shock and pain as he held his bleeding chest. He snarled before swinging his mighty claws once again. Toshinori managed to block before getting slashed at his arms. He hissed in pain but otherwise showed no other sign of pain.

Toshinori kicked the man in the stomach once again. Causing the villain to wrap his arms around his midsection in pain as he stumbled back a bit. Inko couldn't help but stare at the king in shock. She never knew that he would be this amazing with a sword.

"Give up." Toshinori calmly said as he made his way over to the villain. Inko couldn't help but notice, Toshinori's body… was covered in scratches that were bleeding terribly. He'd have to be treated right away. She couldn't help but be curious if he was even in any kind of pain. Or, if he had been trained to ignore any and all pain that he would feel.

"Never."

"So be it." Toshinori said as he swung his sword once again. The only sound that Inko could hear was the sounds of steel and claws slashing at the other. She couldn't believe how well the king fought, it made her wonder why he ever needed guards in the first place. He could easily handle himself but then again he was only one man, he would need all the help that he could get.

Toshinori rushed forward and slammed his sword into the man's right handed claws, breaking them upon contact. The man stared in utter shock before looking up and blinked as he stared at the king with wide eyes. Toshinori narrowed his eyes in mock anger as he walked toward the villain with a slowness that a predator would give their prey. As if to mock them before they would devour them. Toshinori looked ready to kill, at least that was the aura that he gave off and it made Inko worry that this would put him on a different path.

"You dare to harm a woman and an innocent child. On my land no doubt. Punishment should be death." Toshinori said in a voice that she couldn't describe. But it was filled with… emotion. Was it anger? Was he really angry about the whole thing?

"I'm just hungry." The man all but cried out.

"No matter, to kill people just to eat? There are other things, other than people that you could easily eat." Toshinori answered before slashing at the man's other set of claws. "That should teach you a lesson, do not fight and kill just for the sake of killing." Turning around, the king went to check on Inko, wanting to make sure that she and the boy were okay. "Inko?" He said softly, his voice returning to the gentle tone that she knew better than anyone.

Inko couldn't help but stare at the man with a small smile on her face, it was nice to see him so calm again. Even if he looks like he did before but… it was enough to know that he still hadn't killed the man, well she wasn't sure if he has ever killed someone before but it was a sight that she never wanted to see. Not even once, she never wanted to see the king kill anyone in her life.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm okay- Toshinori look out!" Inko shouted at the man as she pointed behind the blonde. Just as Toshinori turned around, he saw the villain having newly grown claws and slashed at Toshinori's back, causing him to all but scream out in pain as he was unable to prepare himself for such an attack properly. Toshinori laid on the ground, breathing deeply as blood stained his clothes and the grass beneath him as he tried to shield Inko and the boy.

"You thought I'd be so easily defeated?" The villain said with a smirk.

Toshinori all but snarled at the villain as he tightened his grip on his sword. The villain smirked as he walked toward the blonde and the two he tried to protect. Inko couldn't help but stare at Toshinori, his blood, when the villain had slashed at him it had splattered onto her and the boy, and she couldn't help but stare at the blonde with wide eyes. Tears filling her eyes as she stared at the blonde thinking that he was going to die. Die because he had to rush out and protect her.

His blue eyes found her green ones and he gave her a faint smile. "It'll be okay." He whispered softly before they narrowed into slits as he quickly pulled his sword up and plunged it backward, stabbing the villain in the chest. The claw villain couldn't help but stare in shock as he looked down at the sword that was in his chest. Even Inko couldn't help but stare in shock, not sure what had just happened.

She didn't think that he would be able to kill anyone. But, it seemed that it had been proven wrong at that. Toshinori breathed deeply as he ripped the sword out of the man's chest and his sword fell to the ground next to the blonde. Toshinori looked so exhausted, so weak and it was most likely from the blood loss. "Toshinori, we need to get you to the castle." Inko said with a frown on her face.

He gave her a faint smile before chuckling and reaching out and patted the top of her head as he said "I've been in worse shape before." Soon, his smile faded as he turned to the boy who was blinking his red eyes in shock. Toshinori reached over and patted the boy on the head as he said "Do not worry my boy, you are safe and sound."

"King Toshinori!" shouted Zuko as he rushed forward toward the group. Inko and Toshinori, along with the boy looked over and saw the many guards rushing to them. Though she didn't see Captain All Might, so that had to mean he was on another mission. That, in a way was a huge relief for her. Though she knew that at some point she'd have to face the captain again. For now, she'd have to treat Toshinori's injuries.


	11. Sensitive

Inko was being treated in her room by one of the nurses in the castle. She had told them not to worry about her, but to go treat the king as he was in worse shape. The nurse had just told her that the king was fine, that he was treating his own injuries much like he always did. Though that didn't sit well with Inko, he couldn't tend to all of them. After all, he had gotten hit in the back as well.

Shaking her head, the young woman saw the nurse wrapping her ankle up and told her to be careful. She didn't break or sprain her ankle but it was bruised. After that, the nurse said she would go and tend to the boy. The boy was weak from lack of food and dehydrated from what they could tell. So he would need some time to regain his strength.

The green haired woman couldn't deny that at the very least. Once the nurse had left, Inko pushed herself up on her feet. Testing her bruised ankle, it hurt a little bit but not overly so. She could at least walk so that was something to be happy about.

Smiling to herself, the young woman carefully walked out of her bedroom. Looking around, she saw that no one was around so that had to mean something. Maybe they were busy checking to make sure that the gates were locked this time around. Since she did rush out of the gates, even though it was to save the boy.

Sighing softly, the young woman walked down the hall as she made her way to the king's room. She could hear him cursing to himself. It had to be hard for him to bandage himself up, she knew that better than anyone. No one told her that he'd need help since he was used to treating himself. But, it was her job to treat his injuries no one else's.

Carefully, she knocked on the door and the sounds stopped. He almost seemed to be shuffling around in the room. Inko frowned a little before she opened the door and frowned as Toshinori's bare back was facing her while trying to shove all of his medical supplies away. Yet, it wasn't the muscles that she had seen in his back that made her pause, it was the long gashes on his skin. She could even see the ones on his arms clear as day.

"Toshinori."

He froze, slowly turning around and stared at her. His eyes shining with fear, shame and guilt. Inko couldn't help but frown a little at the man as she slowly walked into the room. Closing the door behind her as she walked over to the tall blonde man. "Sit down, I'll clean you up okay? You have everything in here right?" Seeing him nod, she pointed to the bed and he did as was told before sitting down atop of his blankets. He avoided eye contact with her.

Shaking her head, the young woman thought that he was being a child and just ignored it for now. Reaching over, she grabbed the basin of water and cloth before walking over to him. Kneeling on the floor, she calmly said "Give me your arm first. I want to start with the smaller ones."

Toshinori nodded and gave her his left arm. The gashes on his forearm wasn't too deep but still bled quite a bit. Frowning, she dipped the cloth in the water before she started to wipe at his arm.

He flinched at the touch. It made Inko wonder if she had hurt him in some way, causing her to look up at the man through her lashes and he just shook his head. As if trying to assure her that she hadn't hurt him. Frowning a little, the young woman went back to wiping his arm, being careful not to cause him any kind of pain. Smiling at her work, she set the cloth back in the water before dabbing the arm dry and wrapping it up in bandages. "That's one arm down." She said to herself and repeated the process with the other arm. Though again, like before Toshinori flinched.

She felt like she was hurting him but he just ignored it and shook his head at her. Now that she thought about it, he was being rather quiet this time. It seemed he was afraid to speak to her.

Shaking her head, the young woman stood up onto her feet once again as she lifted the basin of water as she said "I'll be right back. I'll have to get some more water for your injuries."

"There is another. Over there." Toshinori whispered, pointing to another basin of water, it was still steaming. Most likely had it that way as it would have cooled by the time he had gotten around to his larger injuries. "I'll be fine." He whispered softly.

Inko looked up at Toshinori and saw that he was trying to comfort her. Though at the same time he seemed nervous about something. What could he have to be nervous about in the first place? Blinking her eyes at him a couple times, Inko nodded her head before setting the bloodied basin down and went for the clean one before going around the other side of the bed and started to work on his back.

Seeing the gashes almost made her cry.

Tears building up in her eyes yet refusing to fall as she went to work on his back. Looking over, she saw that Toshinori dug his fingers into the blankets, clenching his hands into tight fists as his body trembled. He let out a groan as his head tilted back. His long bangs falling over his shoulders almost getting her way. Was this really hurting him? Inko frowned and tilted her head a little before she went back to wiping the gashes. She tried to be careful, not wanting to cause him anymore harm though that was easier said than done.

He kept trembling, kept shaking as if this was really starting to hurt him. "I'm sorry." Inko whispered, feeling bad for hurting him more than he should be. After all, he had risked his life to save her and that poor boy. Risking his safety just to make sure that they were safe. Peeking up at Toshinori, she just watched as the man shook his head but refused to speak. But why?

"I'll work on your chest and stomach now. After that I can bandage them." Inko whispered softly, taking the basin of water once again as she went to the other side of the bed. She peeked up at him and saw that his cheeks were a little pink. Was he starting to run a fever? "Toshinori are you okay?" asked Inko. He only nodded, his body shuddered a little as he took a deep breath through his nose.

Inko couldn't help but frown a little at that. There had to be something else wrong here. But what could it be? Was it that he was merely in pain and he was reacting to it? No, he would have been reacting to the pain as he was fighting unless he was filled with far too much adrenaline for it to affect him at the time. Now, he was in a way on his own and had to deal with the pain himself instead of allowing his instincts to take over.

The young woman couldn't help but stare at Toshinori as she saw that he opened his eyes and looked at her. The pink to his cheeks remained though not as dark as before. She just looked up at Toshinori and frowned a little at the man before tilting her head at him.

He looked nervous about something. It seemed that he was hiding something from her, did it have something to do with his last maid? That he had a problem when it came to people treating his injuries? Or was it that people had a problem with treating his injuries themselves? She had no idea, but she wanted to make sure that there is no reason for such a thing. The only thing that she seemed to have noticed was that he was trying hard not to vocalise his pain.

Tilting her head once again, the young woman felt like as if everything about this man was a mystery, and it was only getting more and more confusing as she spent time around him.

"You gonna be okay?" Inko asked, sounding almost afraid to start cleaning his injuries. If just his arms bothered him like it had before as had his back then his stomach and chest had to hurt him a lot more than he would let on. She just hoped that he wouldn't keep hiding things from her though she knew that he would tell her if he felt the need for it to be spoken about.

"Y-Yes…" Toshinori whispered softly, his voice sounding a little shaken. It seemed as if he was fighting something other than pain at the moment though, she wasn't sure what it could be. Tilting her head at him once again, the young woman dipped the water back in the basin and slowly reached over to Toshinori's chest and looked up at him through her lashes as if asking for his permission to keep going.

His nod told her everything that she needed to know as did his eyes. He was indeed nervous about further touch though she couldn't be sure if it was due to pain or that he didn't really like people touching his chest at all. That it had taken all of his strength not to yell at her or to tell her off for even daring to touch him like this.

At least, until she remembered that this was Toshinori. He never yelled at anyone, he was a kind and gentle soul for sure. Even though if given reason, he was willing to do what it took to protect others.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman started to wash away at his chest. Being careful not wanting to hurt him more than he must already be. The gashes themselves were red, angry and swollen from the attacks. She wondered if this would be enough to prevent any kind of infection. It was almost enough to make her want to cry in that moment though she knew that she couldn't do that, for she didn't want to worry the king about her own problems when he was the one who should be worried about for a change.

His breath hitched a little, causing Inko to peek up at him for a moment. His eyes were tightly shut as his hands clenched at the blankets once again. It made her wonder if she had hurt him in anyway. "Toshinori?" Inko called out to him, wanting to make sure that he was okay. His expression was still blank even though he bit at his bottom lip as if to stop himself from crying out in pain.

He opened his eyes for a moment and stared at the green haired woman. As if sensing her concern, he just gave her a small nod as if to tell her that he was okay. His body leaned back a little, his hands behind him as he tried to get himself to relax. Though, she wondered why he would need to relax when pain was a normal thing to feel while getting treated.

"Just let me know if I'm hurting you okay?" Inko said with a small frown on her face. Toshinori just nodded his head to her as he felt Inko rubbing the cloth against his chest once again. He shuddered a little from the motion before biting his lip so hard that the green haired woman thought it would start bleeding at any given moment. It bothered her that she was hurting him and he wasn't even voicing his pain in the first place.

The blonde breathed through his nose, as if to calm himself. Inko frowned a little more at that, why wasn't he telling her anything? Why wasn't he even speaking to her? It bothered her. Toshinori normally always spoke to her, and this was starting to concern her. The silence was getting painful…

"Toshinori please just say something. Anything really, I hate this silence." Inko said with a frown on her face.

Toshinori just shook his head quickly, which only made her frown a little more. Sighing softly, the young woman went back to wiping at his chest, and could only hear Toshinori groan a little. It made her peek up at him once again but he only avoided her gaze. His cheeks growing darker before he snuck a peek at her only to turn his gaze away from her once again. What was with him?

Inko looked at his well-toned chest and saw that the blood was gone. Only thing left was the gashes as they had stopped bleeding. Reaching over, the young woman dipped the cloth in the water to ring out all of the blood that had soiled the cloth. Once she was sure that the cloth was cleaned up, Inko looked up at Toshinori and saw that he was still breathing rather quickly. As if he was trying to keep up some kind of wall around him. What from she had no idea.

Looking at his stomach, she saw that it was still bleeding a bit. Most likely from all of the movements that he had been doing. Such as bending backward and forward so much during the time that had been spent cleaning him up or when he was removing his shirt.

Gulping a little, the young woman couldn't help but admire the shape that the king was in. It was easy to see that he had trained hard in order to use his sword or even his fists for that matter should he ever need to fight in hand to hand combat. Though, she couldn't picture him fighting with his fists like that.

Reaching over, the young woman started to work on his stomach, the cloth rubbing against the wounded flesh of his stomach as she felt Toshinori suck in a sharp breath as he let out a groan. Inko couldn't help but frown a little as she saw more blood seeping from the wound. "Toshinori don't flex like that. It'll only make it worse." She calmly said before wiping at his stomach once again. Much like his chest and back, it was still red and rather angry looking. Though, it seemed as if it hadn't bothered his old scars that had lined his stomach.

For that, she was thankful. There was no telling what would have happened should it have somehow reopened an old scar like that.

Peeking up at him once again, Inko saw that his eyes were still tightly shut, his lips still being chewed on as he tried to resist some kind of pain. Looking back at his stomach, Inko went to wiping it a little more, trying to take more care into it as she tilted her head a little at the man. It seemed that he was starting to shake and tremble. Inko looked back up at the man and saw that he was gritting his teeth as she worked away at his injuries.

Before she could even speak, before she could even open her mouth to utter a single word Toshinori let out a loud moan.

It wasn't a moan of pain…

It was a moan of pleasure.

Inko felt her eyes widen in shock, a dark blush forming on her cheeks. Did he get off of the pain? Did he _like_ the feeling of pain or something along those lines? No, he couldn't have liked pain, if he did he would have acted like that while he was fighting that villain. Unless he could hide it for so long and the walls around that had crumbled around him. "Toshinori did… I mean, do you like pain?" asked Inko softly.

Toshinori's eyes shined with guilt, shame and embarrassment. He looked away before shaking his head at her. "No." He whispered softly, he sighed softly before turning his gaze back to her. His body still trembled a little from the cloth still rubbing and he let out a little moan and a mewl so to speak as Inko finished up her task. Though, he tried to grab at her hands, as if to tell her to stop but she knew that she had to finish this or he could get them infected.

"Please, stop it." Toshinori whined, causing Inko to peek up at him and saw that his face was a deep pink in colour before he looked at her. His blue eyes pleading with her to stop before she pulled her hands back and stared at the man.

"Let me at least wrap them up and you can explain to me why you… you…" God she couldn't even say it!

Toshinori looked like he wanted to argue with her about that a little more. Though, she didn't think that he would argue with her before he nodded to her request. Once she was sure that all of the blood was wiped off, the young woman started to wrap his injuries up in bandages before pushing herself up onto her feet and stared at the man. "Toshinori, is this why no one treats you anymore? Because you… moan?"

"I… I uh…" Toshinori tried to think of the words it seemed. To find the words that he would need in order to explain himself to her. Really, Inko wasn't sure if she wanted to know but at the same time, she felt like she needed to know should she keep tending to Toshinori like this.

"Do you get off of pain?" Inko said with a frown.

"No!" Toshinori all but shouted before he frowned a little. His emotions disappeared once again before he looked away. "No." He whispered before shaking his head and sighed softly. "I just have really sensitive skin. It's why I always wear so many layers, a simple touch is enough to set me off. It was taking all of my strength and will power not to… give into such instincts such as moaning from the touch." His face went redder as he looked away from the green haired woman. "Just people touching me makes me skin warm and tingly and…" He covered his face and whined a little.

Inko frowned a little, it seemed that this embarrassed him more than he let on. "It's why no one treats my injuries anymore. Why my last maid couldn't take it anymore when she would treat me." Toshinori whispered, it was a little harder for him to talk about and it had an impact on him with how no one wanted to help him.

Toshinori took a deep shuddering breath. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to be my maid anymore. I mean, it would be weird to tend to someone who moans at a simple touch. After all, who would want to be tending to their king when he would only moan as he's being treated? It'd make anyone rather awkward-"

Inko reached over and gently grabbed onto the man's large hands and pulled them away from his face as she gave him a gentle smile. "Toshi, I won't stop tending to your wounds just because of sensitive skin. It isn't like you can help that now is it?"

"I can't no…" Toshinori whispered softly, his eyes looking a little scared and almost seemed to tremble with his body.

"I won't stop seeing you, just because of this. If you're hurt, I'll keep treating you. But, if you feel like you are being overwhelmed, just let me know and I'll give you a break okay?" Inko said with a smile as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair and gave him a gentle smile. "I care about you too much to let something as simple as that stop me from helping you." Inko added in a gentle whisper.

Toshinori just stared at her with wide eyes before he quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around the woman and pulled her into a hug. Inko blinked a little as she felt her face pressing up against his shoulder and reached up and gently placed a delicate hand on his back just near his spine. He shuddered at the touch. "Thank you Inko." Toshinori whispered softly.

"For what?" Asked Inko with a frown.

"For not running away. I'm… I'm just so relieved." Toshinori whispered softly as he shuddered a little. Inko couldn't help but frown a little in concern before rubbing his back, trying to be careful not to overwhelm him with touch. "Thank you Inko." He whispered, his voice sounding a little choked up.

Inko couldn't help but give the man a gentle smile as she buried her face against the man's shoulder, as he did with hers. Though, as she just held onto him, she was sure that she felt a dampness on her shoulder as the man tightened his hold over her. Inko though just figured it was a figment of her imagination. "Just rest now Toshi, just rest for now." Inko whispered gently.


	12. Fever Nightmare

Toshinori had tried to go back to his duties as king. But, after a few days it seemed that he had fallen ill once again. It seemed that the villain, had some kind of toxin on his claws though it wasn't deadly to anyone it seems. Toshinori though had gained a terrible fever and had spent most of the time, for a week at the least, coming in and out of consciousness.

He didn't know what was going on around him otherwise.

The only thing that he was aware of, that he could remember was a blur of green. It would come to him, when he would be awake he could hear a kind and gentle voice telling him to drink for them. To eat, and to rest. To regain his strength until he was strong enough to return to his duties.

Though he wasn't sure who the blur was, but in a way he did at the same time. The voice, warm and comforting. Made him feel safe and loved in a way. His heart would beat quickly in his chest that he wasn't sure what had caused it, though all he would know was that he hated it when the blur was gone.

It was cold, and lonely without that green blur coming into his sight. Toshinori tried to come back out from his sleep but knew that he couldn't fight it. He groaned a little as he tried to wake up, tried to open his eyes once again but knew that he wasn't strong enough.

"Toshinori? Can you hear me?" came a voice, the voice of the green blur. Toshinori blinked his tired blue eyes at the image, still no clearer as it was before. He just weakly stared at the image as he tried to think on what it was, no, who it was that came to see him. "Come on Toshi, let's get you some more medicine okay?"

Toshinori just blinked his tired blue eyes at the image before him. He frowned a little before tilting his head at them. Blinking slowly, he felt something brushing through his hair, he couldn't help but close his eyes and lean into their touch. It felt so soothing, so comforting. Letting out a soft sigh, the young man opened his eyes and thought for a moment that he saw the blur smiling down at him. He felt, a little more at ease with this person around him.

"Can you have your medicine for me? It'll make it easier to tend to your injuries." Injuries? Right, he was in a battle a while ago. He was fighting… to protect someone dear to him. That much he could remember but otherwise he had no idea what he was fighting for. Or even who for that matter. It was all a big blur for him, and he hated it. "Toshi?"

He just blinked his blue eyes at the blur before he closed his eyes as he nodded. He felt the blur help him to sit up a bit before holding a cup to his lips. He drank the drink and he couldn't help but be repulsed by the taste but he drank it down anyway. "It'll be okay Toshi, I'm here for you." The voice said in a soothing voice. Toshinori sighed softly as he leaned against the warm body that was next to him.

"I'll be here for you Toshinori… I still care about you and I'll do whatever I can to make sure that you are safe and well." The voice whispered.

Toshinori let out a soft sigh of content. He felt rather comfortable like this. Just being able to enjoy this warmth, just feeling comfort and safe for the first time in a long time. Toshinori all but giggled softly at the thought of being held like this. He slowly reached up and wrapped his arms around the mystery person's midsection and held onto them weakly. Just nuzzling his head against their shoulder as he let out a soft sigh of content.

"Toshinori, you are still clingy." The voice said, only to giggle a little as they held onto him for a while longer. Honestly, he wanted to enjoy the feeling for as long as possible. He just wanted to hold onto this person so long as his body would allow him. It just felt right, to have them in his arms. Just wanting to be safe, to be loved for the first time in a long time. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, the young man looked up and looked at the green blur once again. "But I still find it rather adorable." He couldn't help but grin widely at that.

This person found him adorable, and it made him giggle a little more before he nuzzled against this person once again. "Toshi, you should get some rest. The more rest you have, the better you'll feel later. You are doing so good though, you've been up longer this time than last time." The blur said, a happy tone laced her words. If he was getting better, that had to mean something right? He was healing though he still had no idea who it was that was helping him.

He went to speak, but he closed his eyes as he felt their fingers running through his hair. Gently caressing his scalp. The young man sighed softly as he peeked up at the person once again, he felt like his eyes cleared a little more. Yet, the only thing that he could make out was a pair of warm, gentle and loving green eyes. Eyes that reminded him of emeralds, eyes that he loved more than anything in this life.

Blinking slowly, he reached out, wanting to touch the person but his vision started to darken. Yawning softly, the young man went out to speak but his voice didn't want to work for him it seemed. The person just smiled at him, he could make out such a beautiful smile before he felt himself drift off to unconsciousness.

 _Toshinori frowned as he wandered around some kind of darkened abyss. He tilted his head a little as he looked around, trying to find something that could tell him where he is. Though so far he found nothing that could help him. Or at the very least, give him any kind of indication of where he was, or where he is._

 _Scratching the back of his head, the young man wandered around as he tried to find anything that could help him. Though again he found nothing._

 _Sighing softly, the young man blinked as he started to make his way toward the sound of screams and cries for help. Rushing to the sound, Toshinori couldn't help but stare in shock at the scene that was playing before him. No, he had moved on from this, he had made sure that he had moved on!_

 _Staring at the scene with wide eyes, Toshinori watched as he saw his mother, his father and sister, along with a younger version of himself. He still remembered that day, the day that he lost them. Turning to the remains of their carriage, Toshinori saw that his mother's arm was bleeding, trying to keep himself and Miyoko safe. It was the one duty that his mother had told them many many times that was her duty to them. To keep them safe._

 _His father held a sword in his hand as he prepared himself to fight the enemy that had dared to attack him and his family. "Dad…" Toshinori whispered as he watched the memory play before him._

 _Toshinori though watched as his younger self rushed forward with his own sword in hand as he let out a primal scream as he tried to protect his family. Yet, Toshinori couldn't help but grip his stomach as he felt the scar that he had gained that day. The scar that no matter how many times he tried to forget, no matter how many healing quirks he had used on him they could never remove the scar that remained._

 _The scream of his younger self reached his ears, causing Toshinori to look up as he saw the shadow figure of the one that had attacked him. He wasn't sure who it was that had attacked him and his family but he knew that the fate of his family still haunts him to this day._

 _Young Toshinori was gasping out in pain as he held his stomach to stop the bleeding. The shadowy figure walked over toward him and all but sneered at him before walking toward his family. "No! Leave them alone! Fight me!" Young Toshinori shouted as he pushed himself up and went to attack only to fall forward, using his sword as a support to keep him on his feet. "Leave my family alone!" Shouted Young Toshinori._

 _"He won't leave them alone." Toshinori whispered as he watched his younger self._

 _Young Toshinori screamed as he rushed forward once again, seeming to ignore the pain in his stomach. Yet, Toshinori knew that it was a terrible feeling. It had felt as if his stomach was burning, his skin melting from the heat that radiated itself from his entrails. Yet, he knew that he was still in one piece as he could still eat and so on._

 _The younger version of the king screamed as he slashed at the shadowy figure, managing to slash at their right forearm, just below their elbow. He went to give another attack until the figure kicked Toshinori in the stomach. Causing him to scream out in pain as he rolled on the ground. He weakly stared at his family and tried to push himself back up onto his feet only to fall over from pain that seemed to surge through his entire body._

 _Through every single fiber of his very being, through his very nerves he could feel the pain. Young Toshinori's screams echoed through his mind as he could hear them._

 _"No! Leave them alone! What have they ever done to you! No! Mom! Dad! Miyoko!" shouted young Toshinori as he tried to push himself back up. The only sound that Toshinori could hear were the cries of his family as they were torn to shreds._

 _Tightly shutting his eyes, Toshinori felt the pain in his heart once again. He had, in a way moved on from this scene. Having tried for a few years in the hopes of finding the man that had nearly crippled him and took away his parents. But he had come up empty handed each and every time. Yet, the only thing that had come out of the death of his family was that the lead guard at the time, Nana, had seen great potential to be the next holder of her quirk._

 _He had done the training, in order to gain the power of this quirk. A quirk that he had worked hard to gain, in order to use to help others but sadly it could never help fill the hole in his heart at the loss of his family. Looking over at the frozen image of his younger self, he saw the pain in his blue eyes. The sadness, the tears as they streamed down his face._

 _That was also the day that he told himself he would stop showing his emotions to the world. Never wanting to show his weakness, never wanting to show his fear to the world and his sadness._

 _"You failed us." Came a voice, a voice that he hadn't heard speak to him in years._

 _Eyes widening, Toshinori slowly turned around and looked at the bloody bodies of his parents and sister. His mother, hair once blonde covered in blood as she had her left arm missing. Her eyes, dulled from lack of life. "You should have saved us Toshinori."_

 _"You failed us son. You couldn't save us, how are you to run a kingdom?" His father said, the man had his chest ripped open with his organs hanging by what someone would mistake as threads._

 _Backing up, Toshinori felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at his family. "Better yet, how can you protect Inko if you couldn't even protect us?" said his sister, who was missing half of her face and her right hand. Toshinori could only look at his family as they started to get closer to him, walking toward him as they chanted under their breath that it was his fault. That they were dead because of him. That he had failed to keep them safe from all the danger that had been brought to him._

 _Toshinori looked up at his family with tears never ending as they flowed down his cheeks. "Stop it… I… I tried! I tried to save you!"_

 _"You failed us." They kept chanting._

 _Toshinori could only scream out bloody murder._

Toshinori woke up to the sound of his own screaming. Throwing himself forward, elbows resting on his knees with his hands covering his face as he felt himself tremble. God, that had felt so real, had felt as if he was reliving that day all over again. God, why did he have to relive such a thing?

"Toshinori?!"

Looking up, Toshinori blinked as he saw Inko rushing toward him. She wore a simple pale green sleeping gown as she rushed toward him. Her arms quickly found themselves wrapping around the blonde in a comforting hug. He had no idea that his body was still trembling until he felt Inko's touch. "Toshinori are you okay?!"

"In… ko?" He whispered softly.

"Oh god you spoke!" Of course he did why wouldn't he?

"Why wouldn't I Inko?" Toshinori asked softly.

"You've been drifting in and out of consciousness for weeks. I've been scared that you wouldn't be strong enough to get past the fever but…" She placed a hand on his forehead and smiled a little. "Seems like your fever finally broke though you're rather sweaty. What happened?"

Toshinori looked over at Inko, his eyes wide and filled with so many emotions that he didn't know what it was that he was feeling. He couldn't really fathom what it was that he was really feeling in that moment. Tightly shutting his eyes, he let out a shuddering shaky breath as he tried to get his thoughts together. "Toshi?" God, why did hearing her call him that made him feel so calm? "Are you going to be okay?"

"I… I just relieved a terrible memory." Toshinori whispered.

"What was it? I mean, if you don't mind talking about it. It may help but, I understand why you don't want to share." Inko whispered gently, her fingers still combing his blonde locks. He couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"The day I lost everything." Toshinori whispered.

"Lost everything?" Inko whispered softly, her confusion echoed in her words.

"The day, I lost my family, and lost the desire to express my emotions." Toshinori whispered, looking over at Inko and saw her staring at him in concern. Letting out a soft sigh, the young man started to explain his nightmare to her. It was hard for him to talk about but knew that Inko, even if she wouldn't voice it, would want to hear his tale in the hopes of it making him feel better. May as well get it out of the way.

"We were traveling from another kingdom. Making our journey home… my parents along with the parents of a princess wanted us to wed so she could be my bride." Toshinori said with a soft sigh and looked over at Inko with a frown on his face. Something that he hadn't known that he was doing in the first place. "The princess, I will not lie to you but she is beautiful but…"

"But what?" Inko said with a frown.

"She may be beautiful on the outside but, her soul… her inner core… it was nothing but darkness. Something I wouldn't want for a bride." Toshinori said with a soft sigh before running a hand through his hair and looked away from the green haired woman and sighed softly. What was he to say, what more could he say to her? It wasn't like he had really confessed to her of his own growing feelings. But it was something that he knew that he couldn't allow himself to ruin because of something his parents, and the princess's parents tried to set him up with.

"You didn't want her?" Inko asked softly.

"No, to me, outer beauty is meaningless without inner beauty." Toshinori said with a soft sigh before leaning his head against her shoulder. "I would want a bride that has great inner beauty. A beautiful soul that I can see through her eyes. The princess, I didn't see a beautiful soul but an ugly one." Toshinori let out another sigh before looking up at Inko and gazed deeply into her eyes. Eyes that showed him the very thing that he craved… a beautiful soul in someone that he deeply loved.

"What happened after that?" Inko asked softly.

"We were on our way home when our carriage was attacked. I tried to fight, as did my father but we weren't strong enough. You've seen my scar, the one on my stomach right?"

"Yes…"

"I got that, during that fight. I tried to get back up to fight. To fight and protect my family but I couldn't… It was amazing that I even survived but I had still seen my family torn and ripped to shreds." Toshinori bit his lip, his voice starting to get choked up before taking a deep breath. "I cried the last ounces of my sadness that day. I let out all of the emotions that I felt in my heart that day and vowed never to show my emotions to anyone else again."

"But Toshi, if you don't show your emotions then people will not know what you are feeling…"

"You have no problem of that."

"Because I can seem to read your eyes." Inko said with a sigh.

Toshinori pulled his head away from her shoulder, gazing at her. The green haired woman looked up at him with her green eyes as she whispered "If you never show your emotions, people will think you are nothing but a heartless man who cannot love."

"I can love still Inko, I love many things and I love one person in my life…"

Inko stared at him with wide eyes as she just seemed to gaze at the blonde man. He reached up and gently grasped her hand in his as he gazed at the woman. This was it, he was going to confess to the woman that held his heart in her hands. A woman, whom could easily save him or crush him… But he had to do this, if he couldn't even do this one simple thing how could he ever call himself a man?

"Inko… I… um…"

"What is it?"

"I… I love…"

"You love?"

"What I'm trying to say is that I… I…" Toshinori licked his lips a little trying to think of the right way to say this to her. But how could he say this and not to mention, bring up that he was All Might. The captain that had accidently kissed her? Not to mention, had taken his first kiss of all things. Closing his eyes for a moment, the young man tried to say it again. "I love-"

"Toshinori!" shouted Hizashi as he burst into the bedroom.

Fucking shit damn it! Toshinori cursed in his head as he turned to his friend and all but glared at the man.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream and rushed down here as quickly as I could! At least until I could remember where I put my armor." Hizashi said with a nervous laugh.

"I think you should be okay now King Toshinori." Shit she went back to calling him by his title. "Night." She gave him one last smile before getting up from the bed and made her way out of the bedroom

"Did I miss something?" asked Hizashi.

Toshinori threw the nearest thing at the loud blonde and watched as the man ducked out of the way. "What the fuck Toshi?"

"I was going to confess damn it!"

"Oh… sorry."

"You damn well better be damn it!" shouted Toshinori. Sometimes he loved his friends but damn it they ruined things sometimes.


	13. Inko's Thoughts

Inko didn't know what it was that Toshinori was going to tell her. Though, maybe that was part of the fever talking? She had no idea, but knew that for now she had to return to her duties. Though before she did that, she had to go and check on that little boy. He had refused to speak since she brought him to the castle. The young woman wondered if the boy was still worried about her and Toshinori.

Though, she couldn't tell him anything.

At least, she couldn't at the time. It just seemed as if everything that had happened lately was throwing her for a loop.

Everything that was happening, it confused her yet at the same time she couldn't help but reach up and touch her chest. Right over her heart, feeling it beat quickly in her chest. Looking up, the young woman frowned as she tried to think on what it was that she could do about this. It just seemed, that everything that was happening was making little to no sense to her.

The kiss…

Toshinori trying to tell her something.

It was all rather confusing and it bothered her a great deal. Closing her eyes for a moment, Inko tried to think on what she could do. On what she should do.

"Inko?" came a tired voice, causing her to look up and blink as she saw Shouta looking down at her. Inko just looked up at the man with confusion on her face. "What are you doing here?" asked the raven haired man.

"I was going to go check on the little boy." Inko said with a frown.

"Good luck with that, he hasn't spoken to anyone. I've had Zuko tending to the child, he really wanted to make sure that the boy was okay." Shouta mumbled before letting out a soft sigh. Rubbing the back of his head, the young man looked at the green haired woman before asking "Think you can help? He may come out of his shell more with you around since you did save him." Shouta tilted his head, looking rather exhausted. When was the last time this man slept at all?

Blinking her green eyes at the young man, Inko nodded her head a little. Honestly, she had been wanting to check on the little boy so it would make sense. She wouldn't feel any better until she was sure that he was okay. Plus, they would need to learn his name.

"Alright, let's go…" Inko said with a small smile before walking with the tired man toward the one room where they had the little boy resting in. They figured that he was nervous around other people, at least the way he was clinging to Inko the whole time.

The young woman looked up at Shouta as she saw just how tired the man was. It made her wonder what was keeping him up right now. "Um, Shouta, may I ask you something?" asked Inko.

"Sure."

"Did you sleep? At all?"

"Not really, it's hard to sleep with all the patrols that had to be increased, along with the fact that the boy's room is next to mine so he screams himself awake from nightmares." The man all but sighed softly as he mumbled about how tiresome it was but at the same time, it seemed that Shouta was at least comfortable knowing that the boy was okay. He was safe but had a lot of problems of his own for the most part. Inko couldn't help but be curious as to what it was that the boy was having nightmares about.

Inko reached up and gently touched the man's arm, drawing his attention. "Do you know what the nightmares are about?" asked Inko.

Shouta could only shake his head. It seemed that even he had no idea what it was that was bothering the boy. It made her wonder what it could have been. What made the boy suffer from such nightmares in the first place? For a child to have so many nightmares, to have dreams that would make the boy wake up in the middle of the night all but screaming out for help. It reminded her of when Toshinori had woken up from his own nightmare while he was suffering from the fever.

"Shouta, may I ask something else?" asked Inko.

"Yeah."

"Does… does the king suffer any nightmares? About his family?" Inko asked softly.

"How much do you know?" asked Shouta, a sharpness to his tone. She could understand, so far no one knew that she knew anything about Toshinori's past. Such as his family's demise. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, the young woman looked up at Shouta and gave him a calm yet concerned gaze.

"He had a nightmare while he had a terrible fever. He had relieved the memory of his family's death, and it caused him to wake up screaming. He told me about how they died, what they were doing before they were killed and…" Inko frowned as she looked up at the raven haired man. "He still blames himself doesn't he?" asked Inko.

"He does. He doesn't show it, but he still blames himself for not being strong enough. It was why his master, was able to train him. She saw potential in him and had seen the injury that he had gained in order to protect his family. Even going so far as to keep fighting until he could no longer get back up." Shouta mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head and let out a soft sigh. He did still blame himself for everything that had happened to his family, Inko wondered if she could help him move on from that completely. It was the only way for him to move on, that much was for sure.

Shouta sighed softly as he looked down at Inko and gave her a tired smile. "But, he has calmed down since you came here. You seem to bring out something in him that no one has ever seen in him for a long time. He seems… happy." Inko blinked at that, the king was happier with her around? But, how could that be? The man almost never showed any emotion to anyone anymore but… then again he smiled… he's frowned. He has been expressing himself through anything but his eyes lately and it made her wonder if she was really changing the king.

"Inko, there is one thing that I should tell you. You may not really understand it but just listen alright?" Shouta said, causing her to look at him in confusion. "Whatever the king does, such as when he risked his life to save you back there… anything he does that he does for you… it is _for_ you."

Huh? What was that supposed to mean?

"We're here." Shouta said, causing her to frown a little at that. Looking up, she saw that they had indeed arrived at the room.

Nodding to the man, she slowly opened the door and blinked as she saw the little boy curled up in a ball on the bed. Zuko sat in a chair next to the boy as he tried to talk to him. "Wanna hear a story about me and my older brother?" asked Zuko, the little boy just looked at Zuko with a frown. "You see, my brother and I, we're kind of orphans you see. When we lost our mom, he helped our dad to raise me, to help me fight and train me in the way of swords and hand to hand combat." Zuko said with a smile on his face.

"What happened?" asked the boy.

"Well, even though I had him and our dad it wasn't the same. He knew what it was like to have a mother's love, I didn't. Dad did his best to raise us, but we lost him when I was sixteen." Zuko said with a soft sigh before he leaned back in his chair. "It was hard, being just my brother and I but we still looked out for each other. Him helping me with my quirk and of course with something else." Zuko leaned in closer to the boy as he said "I have one thing though that keeps my parents close. I keep a very special item with me that keeps them close to my heart."

"What is it?" asked the little boy.

"Their rings."

"Oh."

"I know it doesn't seem all that special but sometimes, just having one thing from your family or loved ones is enough to keep them close to you. To keep their memories alive. Do you have something from your family?" asked Zuko with a smile.

"No… I ran away from home… for my safety." The boy trembled.

Inko felt like maybe the boy was being overwhelmed. "Hi, how are you feeling?" Inko whispered gently, causing both Zuko and the boy to look up in confusion. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"No, it's okay. I was done speaking anyway." Zuko said with a small smile on his face. Well, at least from what she could read of the young man. He still wore that mask, hiding his face so she couldn't read him like she could Toshinori. "I should get going." He reached over and ruffled the boy's hair before getting up and made his way out of the room. "He's still a little fragile but, he'll feel better seeing you and the king." Huh? "I'll go get him."

Wait what?

Before Inko could ask him what had happened, Zuko was already gone. She couldn't help but frown as she looked up at Shouta and saw the man just simple shrugging his shoulders. It seemed that even he didn't know what was going on. Shaking her head, the young woman made her way over to the bed and took the seat that Zuko once occupied.

"Hello sweetie. Are you okay?" asked Inko with a small smile on her face.

The little boy blinked as he looked up at Inko and crawled over to her before curling himself up in her lap and wrapping his arms around her. Inko blinked a little before wrapping her arms around the little boy. "I'm Inko, I'm a slave here in the castle. What's your name?" She whispered softly.

"I'm Tenko…"

"That's a cute name for a sweet little boy." Inko whispered softly. Running her fingers through his hair in the hopes of soothing him. The little boy sniffled a little, it seemed that he was still shaken up by everything that had happened lately. She knew that she had to be careful with this boy, there was no telling what would happen should she push herself to ask him what it was that had happened before he came here.

Tenko peeked up at Inko and blinked his red eyes at her and sniffled a little. "You won't leave me too will you?" He asked softly.

"No sweetie, of course not. I'll be here, there are many people who will want to protect you, who would want to keep you safe." Inko said gently, a soft smile on her face as she rubbed his back in soothing circles, much like how she had for Toshinori after she had finished bandaging him up.

"No one will hurt me anymore?" Tenko asked with a frown on his face.

Inko just gave him a soft smile as she nodded her head to him. "No one will hurt you, I will make sure of that." She nuzzled the little boy's head as she let out a soft sigh. "No matter what happens, no matter what may try to get in my way, I will do everything within my power to keep you safe Tenko." Tenko looked up at Inko and blinked his red eyes as they filled with tears. It nearly broke Inko's heart to see such a sight on such a young boy.

"As will I." came another voice, causing Inko to turn her head and blink as she saw the king walking into the room. Inko couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes, he shouldn't be up and about yet! He was still healing! There was no way that he could be on his feet yet here he was. Tenko looked up at Toshinori and seemed to cling to the green haired woman as if he was afraid of the massive king.

Toshinori gave the boy a small smile before reaching out and ruffling his hair. "I will also keep you safe my boy. No one will harm you so long as you are within these walls." Toshinori whispered softly before pulling his hand back. His cape covering his arms and hands much like they always did. Inko couldn't help but stare at him with soft yet concerned eyes. He shouldn't be pushing himself like this.

"Are you okay though? You got hurt because of me." Tenko said with a sniffle.

"These injuries are nothing to me my boy. I'm a lot tougher than I appear." He chuckled a little, trying to assure the boy. Inko couldn't believe that Toshinori was willing to show his emotions in front of Tenko. Maybe, it was to assure him. To make sure that the young boy wouldn't worry about anyone just because they saved him.

"Okay…" He whispered softly before clinging to Inko a little. Sniffling a little as she looked down at the boy and frowned a little. Turning her gaze to Shouta, she saw that he was shifting side to side a little. It seemed that he was a little nervous as he looked between the king and herself.

"Shouta, can you take him to get something to eat? Maybe a new change of clothes? I want to speak to the king." Shouta blinked a little, apparently not used to someone asking him something who wasn't the king. Nodding his head, he carefully lifted Tenko into his arms. Yet, Tenko whined, not wanting to be separated from Inko so soon. "It'll be okay sweetie, I'll join you soon enough." Tenko sniffled a little before Shouta walked with the boy to get some food.

"Inko, why did you ask him to take the boy?"

"Tenko, his name is Tenko." Inko pointed out with a frown on her face. "And I asked him to take him because I want to speak to you."

"Oh?"

"Yes! You shouldn't be moving around! You just got over a fever!" Inko pointed out with a glare before marching up to him. Narrowing her green eyes, she added "I can see you struggling to stay on your feet. If you were still so weak then why leave your bed?"

"Because Zuko asked me to help with Tenko. It seemed that he was still worried about me getting hurt so I had to come to reassure the boy." Toshinori pointed out with a sigh. Staring at her with a frown on his face, Inko still couldn't get over him showing his emotions around her. "Inko, I am a strong man do not doubt me on that."

"I don't doubt your strength. But I do worry about you, you need to rest." Inko said with a frown on her face. Tears filling her eyes as she stared at the blonde king that stood before her. Toshinori blinked his blue eyes before he reached up and gently cupped her cheek against the palm of his hand. It made Inko wonder why he was giving her such a tender touch. "Toshi?" She whispered softly, holding onto his hand as she gazed up at him with watery eyes.

"Inko." He began, causing him to look away before closing his eyes and took a deep breath. As if to calm his nerves. "You are the only person I would ever listen too. The only person, who could give me orders that I'd be willing to listen too as I know you would care about my well-being and nothing more." Inko looked at him with wide eyes. Not sure what it was that he was trying to say. "Just know, that just as how you wish to look out for me, I want to look out for you. I want… I want to keep you safe."

"Safe? But from what?" asked Inko.

"Anything that would want to harm you. Regardless if it is your body, or your heart. I will do everything within my power to protect you." Toshinori whispered softly as he leaned in close to Inko. His eyes lidded much like the other two times he grew close to her. Inko felt her heart beating widely within her chest, feeling something that made her want to be as close to him as possible.

"Toshi…" Inko whispered softly.

She couldn't help but lean into his hand, it seemed right to be this close to him. To feel his warmth, to feel this safe with him. If she was honest with herself, Inko had never felt safe with anyone, not like this. There have only been two people that she had felt safe with and so far those have been Toshinori and All Might. The only people that she could trust besides her best friend.

Toshinori leaned closer to her, to the point that she could feel his breath against her lips. Was he… was he going to kiss her? Was this what he really wanted? No, it couldn't be, she was a slave, he was a king. It couldn't be, she knew that better than anyone.

With reluctance, Inko turned her head away, causing Toshinori to frown at her in confusion. "Inko?"

"I… I don't know what it is that you are trying to play at with me my king." She could see Toshinori flinch at the title. "But… it… it can't be. I know this is nothing, I know that better than anyone. I'm sorry, but I have to go, I need to go see Tenko." With that, she moved out of his reach and made a mad dash out of the room. Not knowing that she had left behind Toshinori in his own despair.

Though what she didn't know, was his vow…

"Inko, I promise you that I will show that my feelings for you are true… that I do love you and nothing will ever make that truth change."


	14. Princess Kira

Toshinori wasn't sure how he was to tell Inko about how he felt. She had to think that he was only trying to play with her emotions. Really, that was the furthest thing from his mind. The only thing he wanted to do, was to tell her how he felt. It seemed that she wouldn't listen to King Toshinori, so would he have to go as Captain All Might? Would that even be the right thing to do?

It just felt like there was always something in the way. There was something wrong, and he knew that he had to do something to show Inko that he did love her. Even though he had yet to confess it but, he felt that just telling her wouldn't be enough.

Sighing softly, the young man ran a hand through his hair as he wandered around the halls. He was just making his rounds to make sure that everyone was doing their jobs. Really, he'll be happy once he can pass that bill where all slavery was to be outlawed. It was one thing to hire someone, to pay them so to speak in some way such as in his case he would give them shelter, food among other things they would need. But to abuse slaves just because they dared to take one step out of line? That was too far for his liking.

Looking out one of the many windows, Toshinori couldn't help but have a faint smile at the sight. It was starting to snow, and of course the winter ball was to come around soon. He knew that it was proper for him to bring a princess with him but there would be a few problems with that.

One, even if he did have a princess nearby, he wouldn't want to be with them.

Two, he would only want to go with one special woman, whom held his heart in her hands and that was Inko.

Three, well, he didn't want to show the other kings that he still abide by the rules anymore. He didn't care, the only thing he cared about now, wasn't just the happiness of others but his own. Inko, was the one thing that made him feel happy and whole again. It was a feeling that he never knew that he could feel again. It just seemed, well, almost like a dream come true really.

Maybe he should ask Inko to go for a walk with him. Not as his slave of course, he would never force her to do something like that.

Frowning a little, Toshinori reached up and grasped at his heart. It thudded painfully in his chest, a feeling that he never wanted to feel in his life. But knew, that this was to happen when you found love. There was always a chance at the person you loved rejecting you.

Letting out a soft sigh, he tightened his grip over his chest once again before allowing his hand to drop at his side, hidden by the silk of his cape. Maybe he could use this time to check up on Tenko, the poor boy was so scared to be anywhere other than near Inko or himself. Why though, he wasn't really sure though he had a theory on why that was.

It was because both of them had saved the boy. Had risked their lives to protect this boy and in a way, Tenko had imprinted on the two of them. Making it easier for him to feel safe and secure. Any child would want to have such a feeling as that, and it made Toshinori happy but at the same time he feared it. Closing his eyes, the young man tried to calm his nerves down. What could he do? He knew that he shouldn't strengthen the bond but it was against his nature not to help someone. He had too, it was something that was engraved into him for as long as he could remember.

"King Toshinori?" came Zuko's voice, causing the blonde to turn away from the window and have his full attention on the young man before him.

"Yes Zuko?" asked Toshinori.

"It would appear that you have a guest. Said that she came from a far off kingdom and that… you know her?" Zuko said, though he shifted from side to side, being a little nervous.

"What is her name?" asked Toshinori.

"That's the thing sir, she wouldn't tell me. She just kept saying that she wanted to see you and no one else. Um… may I speak without the risk of being punished?"

"You know I won't punish you Zuko."

"Just… humor me please sire."

"Alright, what is it?"

"I don't trust her. You shouldn't either sire, she is nothing but pure darkness and I don't think you should be around her too much. I feel as if she would do whatever it is that she wants should she not get what she wants." Zuko said with a frown on his face. Or, at least his lips had turned downward into a frown.

Toshinori couldn't help but frown at the young man. This boy truly thought such a thing about someone? But how could that be? Why would he be saying such things about a woman in the first place? It just didn't add up, though Toshinori knew that Zuko had never lead him astray since he had been here. But, even then would his trust be tested in this moment. He couldn't really be sure, though he knew that he had to be careful if that was the case.

"Please King Toshinori, do not be left alone with her. At least have me with you, I can't protect you from her should the need arise."

Toshinori couldn't help but frown at the boy for a moment. He was really concerned about him, but the king knew that he couldn't just blame anyone that was within the castle walls. There was a reason for the protection that the castle had and it was to keep threats out thanks to all of the guards that have been posted. But, he could at the very least humor Zuko.

Nodding his head, Toshinori calmly said "Alright, you may come with me. But I am sure that she isn't going to try anything against me. You may be acting rather silly." Toshinori walked with Zuko toward the royal throne room.

Yet, the moment he opened the door, he couldn't help but as himself this. _'Is it too late to turn back?'_

Standing in the room, was a beautiful woman no doubt. She had long raven locks that was pulled back in a bun that had threads of silk and flowers weaved through her locks that had been braided at the sides of her head. She had beautiful crystal blue eyes much like his own though far lighter than his.

She wore a long sleeved blue silk dress, and Toshinori could make out the beaded earrings that she had decided to wear for today, along with a sapphire necklace with a gold chain. Blush on her cheeks and of course blue eyeshadow. Yes, she was a beautiful woman, any man would be lucky enough to have her but when Toshinori looks into her eyes. Eyes that were easily the gateways into her very soul and it made him see the king of person she really was.

An ugly person.

"Oh Toshinori!" shouted the woman as she all but threw herself at him. Though he just sidestepped to get out of her reach before he looked down at the woman as she pouted at him. "Why did you do that Toshinori?" She said with a sniffle, trying to play the guilt card it seemed. "That hurt." She said with another sniffle, a fake tear rolling down her cheek.

"What do you want Kira?" Toshinori rolled his eyes at her. Of all the people who had to come and visit him it had to be her? Seriously?

"I just thought I'd come by early for the winter ball! Plus, I was hoping that I could be your date to the dance since you never seem to have anyone to go with but those guards with you."

"My guards? Yes, they are my right and left hand men whom I would trust my very life with." Toshinori calmly said before shaking his head at the woman before him. God, she was annoying. Every time he saw her, or more like she came to see him and she would try to worm her way into his home, under his skin hoping to build a nest there so to speak.

He would always have her removed of course.

"So, will you go with me?" Kira said with a hopeful smile on her face. A smile, that was entirely fake. Toshinori narrowed his eyes as he quickly turned away from the woman and went to take his leave. "Wait! Toshinori you didn't answer me!"

"That is _King_ Toshinori to you Kira. So long as you are in my kingdom you will address me as such. You are a princess, act like one."

"Answer me!"

"I do not wish to go with you now or ever for that matter. I have told you many times in the past since we first met that I do not harbor any feelings for you and it'll come to pass. Leave me be, and let me continue with my life." Toshinori all but snarled at the woman while maintaining his emotionless mask.

"But why? Why won't you go with me? Am I not beautiful enough?" asked Kira with a frown on her face.

Turning to give her the coldest stare that he could muster, Toshinori gave her an answer. "You are beautiful yes on the outside. But I would want my bride to have a beautiful soul to match. Your soul, is nothing but darkness and one that makes me sick to my stomach. You do not care about others, only yourself and what you want. That is something that I shall never partake in now, leave me."

Toshinori went to make his way to the door until her voice stopped him. "Sorry _King_ Toshinori, but I am here until the winter ball. By then, you will be in love with me." Kira said with a smile on her face.

"Hate to disappoint but you'll never have my love." Toshinori answered with a snarl in his words, hoping that it would scare the raven haired woman away from him. Though it seemed that it only made her smile all the more. A smile that any other man would find rather beautiful but really, it was vile and made Toshinori want to throw up his breakfast.

"King Toshinori, we should go. You have meetings to go to." Zuko suddenly said, causing the blonde to look over at the masked guard and blinked at him a moment. He had no meetings, wait. Zuko was trying to help him, trying to give him a reason to leave. Oh thank the gods for that, he would have to find a way to thank Zuko later on but for now he would settle with getting the hell out of here. Being around this woman made him ill for some reason or another.

Toshinori nodded his head to the masked guard before turning his attention to the woman before him. "You may stay, but you are not to order my slaves." God he hated that word more than anything but he knew that it had to be said. The other royals didn't know of what he was planning and he wasn't going to tell them yet. Turning to Zuko, he calmly said "Zuko, make sure you send someone to escort Princess Kira to her room." Leaning closer, he added in a whisper "And keep her away from Inko. There is no way I'll have her around Inko."

"Do not worry my king. I'll make sure she gets a nice room at that." Zuko said as he turned to the woman. For a moment, Toshinori thought that Zuko was glaring at her, he must really hate her for some reason.

"I want a room next to you King Toshinori." Kira said with a smile.

"Sorry but that room is already taken. You'll have to be on the other side of the castle." Zuko said before walking out of the room with Toshinori.

"Sir, who is that woman?" asked Zuko with a frown on his face.

"That is Princess Kira. My parents tried to set me up with her to be my bride but I refused." Toshinori clenched his hands into tight fists as he took a deep breath trying to calm himself. "Since that first meeting, she has tried to get me to marry her so she can be my queen. But I refused her many times in the past. I don't love her, nor will I ever."

"Because you love Inko right?"

"How did you-?"

"It's obvious, plus I have my sources." Zuko said with a chuckle before looking on ahead. Toshinori frowned a little at that. No one should know about his love for Inko. Before, Zuko only knew that Toshinori had 'feelings' for Inko, not love. The only people that should know that would be Hizashi and Shouta. No one else, so how could he know anything like that in the first place? It just didn't make sense to him.

"Who told you?" asked Toshinori with a frown.

"Sorry, I can't tell you that sire. That is my little secret, I may tell you someday but for now that is something I need to keep to myself." Zuko said with a chuckle before folding his hands behind his back. Toshinori wondered if he was in deep thought. "Though, I can promise that no matter what I'll do whatever I can to keep her safe for you my king." Zuko said with a smile on his face.

"Thank you." Toshinori calmly said before he looked down the hall once again. He could hear the sound of children laughing though, it still had him worried about everyone while Princess Kira was within the walls. Last time she was here, she had annoyed everyone to the point that they were ready to poison her but Toshinori had to tell them many, many times that they couldn't do that even though he wanted them to get rid of her somehow.

His heart wouldn't allow them to kill her.

Sighing softly, the young man looked over at Zuko as he said "So, what made you hate her? I just hated her because of her eyes showing me her soul."

"Let's just say, I have a really bad history with that woman." Zuko said with a growl.

"She didn't act like she knew you."

"I'm hiding my face for a reason sire."

Oh, so were they a thing or something? Or was there something more than that? Ugh, this was going to drive him nuts. At this rate, he was going to go mad just trying to think on what he could do.

Looking on ahead, he smiled a bit as he saw Inko walking with Tenko. The little boy holding her hand as they wandered around the halls. He couldn't help but smile gently at the sight, it made his heart soar at the sight of the sight. Inko would make a fantastic mother for sure, though he knew that he couldn't think that far ahead as of yet. Inko still wasn't his bride and he wasn't going to force it either.

"Inko." Toshinori called out, his mask back in place as he made his way over to her. The green haired woman blinked her eyes at him as she tilted her head at the king. "Lovely day isn't it?"

"Yes it is sire." Inko said with a frown on her face. Avoiding all eye contact with the king. It broke his heart seeing this, damn it all. He knew that he had to do something, he had to do this while he still had the nerve to even do this. Taking a deep breath, the young man looked down at Tenko and smiled at the little boy. It seemed that he had calmed down a bit, and for that he was thankful. Though, he wasn't sure if he was getting along with the other children yet as he wasn't around them much.

Having refused to leave Inko's side for the most part. When he wasn't around her, the boy was around the king but he was mostly with Inko.

"Hello my boy! How are you today?" asked Toshinori, giving the boy a small smile before reaching over and ruffled his hair. Tenko pouted at having his hair ruffled but he didn't refuse the action of affection. Which, of course made the blonde king smile at that. It made him happy to see that the boy was starting to enjoy some form of affection though that was most likely from the lack of affection from his parents. Parents that were most likely long gone now.

"Now, tell me this my boy. Do you like living in the castle?" asked Toshinori.

"Yeah, you and Inko are nice." Tenko said, shyly hiding behind Inko before looking up at Zuko. "As if Zuko, he tells me interesting stories about him and his older brother." Toshinori looked over at the masked man for a moment before looking back at Tenko and gave him one more smile before it faded as he looked up at Inko.

"Inko, I need to ask you something important."

"What is it?" asked Inko.

"Well, I was wondering if um… uh…" He was nervous but damn it all. Toshinori knew that he had to say something, had to get this off of his chest and then when the time was right confess his feelings for her at long last. To tell her that he did indeed love her more than anything in the world. Closing his eyes, the young man took a deep breath before opening them and looked at Inko. "Will you accompany me to the winter ball?"

Inko just stared with wide eyes. Her green orbs looked into blue ones as she tried to see any lie in his words. Yet, it seemed that she had seen no such thing as she gave him a small smile. "I will." She whispered softly, hearing those words though made Toshinori's heart beat in his chest so quickly that he feared it would escape him. He couldn't believe it, she said yes! Now all he had to do was think of a way to confess his love, and of course to tell her about him being All Might, the latter being harder than it should since they uh… had already kissed.

Why did life have to get so complicated while it got better?


	15. Confession

Toshinori couldn't believe that Inko had agreed to come to the ball with him. It was amazing for sure, though he just hoped that he could gather up the courage to tell Inko that he did indeed love her. That everything he had done was for her. To make her happy, to show her that he could love her regardless of her status. To him, none of that mattered to him. The only thing that mattered to him was the kind of person that she was.

"My king?" came a voice, causing Toshinori to turn quickly and looked at Zuko. He was dressed up for the ball it seemed as well but was still keeping up with the mask and his guard attire as well. Interesting combination.

"What is it Zuko?" asked Toshinori.

"I wish to guard you and Inko this evening."

"Why?"

"Because there is danger here and I would prefer if you and Inko weren't in any form of danger."

Toshinori just raised an eyebrow at the young man. It seemed rather odd that the young man would want to use up the one night a year where people could have fun. Could enjoy themselves. Plus, if anything did happen, it was most likely that Enji would just use up his quirk and mention how he was the better king because he had a quirk.

It got rather annoying after a while.

Just as Toshinori was about to open his mouth to decline the offer, Zuko held up his hand to silence the blonde king. "No matter if you agree or not, I will be protecting the both of you this night. I won't allow anyone to get hurt, not again." Toshinori frowned a little at that. What did that mean? Was someone hurt at some kind of party when he was younger that he tried to protect? It was possible, he just hoped that this boy would just relax and calm down. He was taking this a little too seriously. At this rate, the poor boy would have a heart attack.

"Alright, but just breathe here Zuko. If you overwork yourself you'll end up killing yourself."

"I don't plan to die." Zuko said with his teeth pulled back in a version of a snarl. Toshinori just blinked at the seriousness of this young man. He was going beyond that was for sure. Though again, he just hoped that the young man didn't get himself killed in the process despite his promise that he won't.

Running a hand through his hair, Toshinori let out a soft sigh as he nodded to the young man. "Alright, but if you do I'll have to find someone to bring you back and beat some sense to you." Toshinori said lightly before reaching over and picked up his crown. It wasn't anything fancy really, just a wreath like styled crown decorated with blue jewels that people had said, looked like his eyes. He didn't wear the crown very often, as he thought that he was showing off his power enough as it was just by being him.

So he only wore the thing during special events such as the winter ball.

Closing his eyes, he slid the crown on until it settled on his forehead, pulling his long bangs out from under the metal until it laid against the crown. God, he just hoped that he didn't have to wear this for too long. It always pinched at his head whenever he wore this thing.

Shaking his head, the king looked over to the young guard as he asked "So, why are you so adamant about protecting Inko and I?"

"I have my reasons sire. Reasons I don't think I can ever fully explain… but…"

"But what?"

"You both are rather important to me."

Okay, that threw him off a little. How would the two of them be important to him in the least? Sure, Toshinori was his king but that was about it. He couldn't even see the young man's face so how was he to mean anything really to the young man when the masked man couldn't even trust his own king enough to show his own face.

As for Inko, he could kind of see it as she was kind to everyone. Wanted to help everyone in any way that she could. Her heart, he found, was the purest thing in this entire world. Taking a deep breath, the king looked at his guard as he said "I still wish you would tell me why you are really here, why Inko and I are 'important' to you but you won't do such things."

"I know sire."

"Just be thankful that I am your king. Other kings would have had you killed thinking you were some kind of spy." Toshinori pointed out before crossing his arms over his muscular chest.

"I wouldn't dare try to lie to you sire. You could easily snap my neck if I messed up." Zuko said with a chuckle before he started to walk on ahead. Only to stop again as he looked over his shoulder at his king once again. "But, promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Keep Inko, and yourself away from Princess Kira. I know that you have no right to trust me on this but please, keep her away from the both of you. That woman is more dangerous than she lets on." Okay, that seemed to confuse the king all the more. There had to be a reason for this, there had to be something going on that Zuko was refusing to tell him though he wasn't sure what it could be as the man was still so secretive about everything that was happening.

"Alright, I'll keep the both of us away from her."

"Good and… when confessing to Inko just… be yourself. Don't hide yourself by anything, don't hide behind the emotionless mask. Smile, show her by your own facial expression that you do indeed love her. Regardless of the form that you take."

Form? But, what did he mean by that?

"Come, let's go get Inko shall we?" Zuko said with a chuckle before making his way out the door. The king in tow though still confused by his words. What did he mean by all of this in the first place?

Making his way to Inko's room, Toshinori checked himself over to make sure that he looked presentable. Besides the crown, he wore his dark blue vest with a black shirt and matching pants to go along with it. His cape, was also a dark blue to go with his vest, it was to help him stay warm while they were inside since it could get chilly within the castle walls.

Taking a deep breath, he reached up and knocked on her door. A meow reached his ears, remembering that Inko had kept that kitten that she had saved from the tree. Though, thinking back to that day made him blush at the thought of her soft lips upon his. He wished to taste them again but knew that he had to be patient with it. Good things came to those who waited.

"Usagi stay in here please." Inko said with a tone that made Toshinori think of a mother scolding their child. It made him smile faintly before it vanished. Once the door opened though, Toshinori swore that his heart stopped beating, having died and gone to heaven.

Inko wore a purple dress fit for a princess. Sleeveless as it clung to her curves while it flowed out around her waist. Her ears had golden hoop earrings, eyes having purple eye shadow and her lips looked pink as a cherry blossom. Her hair was done up in a half bun with some of the green locks flowing down her back in what would be best described as curls that also seemed to frame her face perfectly.

He couldn't help but fall even more in love with her.

"My king?" Inko said a little nervously with his staring.

Blinking his blue eyes a few times, Toshinori gave her a small smile before it vanished and he bowed to her before holding his arm out to her. "Shall we? I didn't mean to stare at you like that Inko it… um…" Damn it, how could he say it without sounding like some creep? As if he was just noticing her beauty before she got herself dressed up like this? He had no idea, but he just hoped that everyone wouldn't try to worm their way to her, she was his. At least, as long as she would have him.

Inko blushed a little at the blonde before wrapping her arms around his forearm. Looking up at the tall man before she looked away. Toshinori frowned a little at her before he calmly said "You know, you look beautiful tonight." Inko looked up at him and frowned causing him to blush as he looked away. "Not that you aren't beautiful regardless but… um… to be honest, I didn't think you could get even more beautiful. No wait that sounded wrong. That sounded as if I never found you beautiful because I do! I really do! But uh… um… shit I'm not good with this and I'm sorry-"

"Toshi."

Blinking his blue eyes down at her, as she looked up at him. Her face tinted so red that he thought that her face would melt off at this rate. Yet, her smile itself was enough, it told him that she knew what he was trying to say. He couldn't help but smile gently at her before it faded from him. It was official, tonight was the night. He was going to tell Inko that he loved her, that he wanted her for his bride and that he didn't care what the other royals thought of him.

That his bride, was his choice alone, that he didn't have to follow the rules of other royals because he loved Inko more than he could ever love a princess.

Turning his gaze to her, Toshinori felt his heart thumping quickly within his chest. There was still so much that he had to tell her. So much that he had to tell her about himself because he didn't want there to be any more secrets between the two of them and this secret was the biggest one of all. That he was not just the king but the captain of the guard. That he was All Might and that he was the one that kissed her.

Ugh why did this have to be so hard?

Shaking his head, the young man tried to keep himself calm. To keep himself collected but he wasn't sure what he could do. It just seemed as if everything that would go right in his life that he would have a lot of trouble. Such as when he tried to kiss Inko as himself, Hizashi burst into his study or when the children yelled out at him and then of course tackled him to the ground.

Then of course when he had tried to confess to her that he loved her. Only for Hizashi to burst into his room and he was go angry he threw something at the man. He couldn't even remember what it was that he had thrown in the first place. Only that he was pissed at another moment between the two of them being interrupted in some way.

"Sire, I'll try not to crowd you both so you can enjoy yourselves." Zuko said with a chuckle before folding his hands behind his back as he gave them both a smile. Toshinori, along with Inko could only blink as he stared at the two of them. It seemed that his statement had confused the both of them and chuckled a little. "Don't worry, I'll keep you both safe but I will still you both your distance." Zuko said with a chuckle.

Toshinori could only blink at him in confusion. What was this guy's angel?

* * *

Toshinori couldn't believe how many people showed up tonight. They must have thought that he had finally chosen a bride. Well, they weren't far off, he had chosen but nothing to be official right now. Turning his gaze to Inko, he couldn't help but smile a little at her. Her eyes were wide and full of wonder to the point that they almost sparkled.

They shined like bright emeralds and it made him smile.

"Like what you see Inko?" asked Toshinori.

"It's amazing, I mean, I've cleaned it and all but this place it looks so lively." Inko said in awe.

"Yeah, it was my turn to host this year. They all hope that I found a bride as I wasn't expecting this many people to show up."

"A bride…" Inko whispered, her voice sounding a little sad.

Turning to her, he frowned a little before leaning close to her ear. "Do not worry, you have _nothing_ to worry about." Inko frowned as she looked up at Toshinori and saw that he gave her a soft smile. She stared at him with wide eyes, it seemed that she still wasn't used to seeing him showing any kind of emotions. "Shall we go in my dear?" Asked Toshinori.

Inko nodded her head and smiled as Toshinori guided her through the crowd. A lot of couples just chatting among themselves. It made Toshinori envy them a little. Knowing that they all had someone that they loved and had their love in return. Yet, he knew that he had to be careful with Inko. Not wanting to rush into things with her as it seemed that she had never felt love like this before with anyone in her life. So, he knew that he would still have to be careful when it comes to showing affection like that.

Turning his gaze back to Inko, he saw that her eyes were still full of wonder and amazement.

"King Toshinori." Came a voice, causing Toshinori to turn his head and wanted to groan as he saw Enji coming toward him. His flames gone for the most part, most likely so he doesn't burn anyone. "I see you at least brought a woman with you but… did it have to be your maid?"

Toshinori had his emotionless mask back in place and turned his gaze to Inko. She was trying to hide behind him, it seemed that Enji made her rather uncomfortable. "I thought that I had told you to bring a princess. In fact, I had heard that Princess Kira had come to your castle to be your guest to the ball."

"She is of little importance to me. I have told her many times that I would never marry such a woman as her. She may be beautiful on the outside, but her soul itself is ugly and vile. If I did pick a bride, picked a guest to come with me to this, I would want someone that I find lovely inside as well as out and that is Inko here." Toshinori all but snarled at Enji. He was growing rather tired of having people telling him who he could or couldn't bring. Who he could and couldn't love. It was the one thing that he was getting rather tired of hearing over and over again.

Holding onto Inko a little more, hoping that her presents alone would be enough to calm him. So far, it was working as she was the only thing that kept him calm. "Inko is my guest today, just as much as Rei is yours. You shouldn't judge me without judging yourself. Now, if you'll excuse me I would like to enjoy my time with Inko." With that, he started to take his leave with the green haired woman.

"I'm sorry Toshi."

"What for?"

"Because I'm not royalty. If I was, then he wouldn't have been judging you for it-"

"Inko, stop that right now. You have nothing to be sorry for. I chose you, I could have taken Princess Kira but she rubs me the wrong way. You though, you make me happy. You make me want to feel again and for that I am grateful." He gave her a small smile before leaning close, pressing his forehead against hers. "I do not care what they think. If they didn't want me with you I would have just come to this alone, for it was _you_ and only _you_ that I would want to be here with."

She couldn't seem to stop the blush as it rose to her cheeks. His words must have touched her in some way, it made Toshinori want to kiss her but he knew that he still had to wait. He had to wait for the right moment to confess what was in his heart. If he rushed it, then he could scare her off and possibly never see her or Tenko again as she would most likely take the boy with her.

The thought of losing the both of them broke his heart and he wasn't even sure why… sort of anyway. He knew with Inko, it was because his heart would break. As for Tenko, he just… cared about the boy as if the boy was his own. As if the boy was his own flesh and blood but he knew that he had to be calm and rational about all of this. Knowing that if he pushed everything then he would lose everything. The thought of losing them, it broke his heart and he didn't want to risk that.

Taking a deep breath, the young man looked down at Inko as he whispered "You're more beautiful than any princess here Inko."

"I am?" She asked softly.

"You are." He whispered softly, his eyes lighting up from the idea of confessing to her. Looking around, he saw that the couples were gathering around. Music started to play and it was then he knew the way to confess to Inko. He would do this, he could do this! He had to. Smiling to himself, the young man couldn't help but feel rather giddy at the thought of confessing to her. To asking her to marry him, though he just hoped that doing both wouldn't be pushing it onto her. He would propose yes, but again he wouldn't rush for a wedding, he wanted to think about her feelings as well.

"May I have this dance my lady?" Toshinori asked, holding his hand out for Inko to take. The green haired woman looked up at Toshinori's eyes before looking back at his hand then back up at his face. Blinking a couple times, the young woman seemed a little nervous about everything that was happening around her though at the same time it seemed that she had finally come to a decision.

Giving the tall blonde a small smile before she nodded her head. "Yes." She said before sliding her hand into his. Toshinori smiled a little at her before walking over toward the dance floor. He wrapped his free arm around Inko's waist, holding her as close to him as he could. Though he found that he still had to bend down just for her to hold him. Frowning a little, the young man bent down and picked up Inko, holding her up with his arm, both now being eye level.

"Toshi?"

"I figured, this way we can easily gaze at each other's eyes instead of you looking at my stomach and me at your head." Toshinori said with a soft smile. Inko blushed a little, causing Toshinori to smile a little more at the sight. He loved how adorable she was when she blushed like this. The young king knew that he wanted to have a good time, wanted to enjoy some time with the green haired woman before he confessed because again, he wanted to make sure that she saw it in his actions as well as his words.

"Toshi, why are you going so far out of your way to make sure that I'm enjoying myself?" Inko asked softly.

He gave her a soft smile, a true one at that. It seemed to have made Inko blush a little more before he finally answered her. "Because you are special Inko. You are a special woman to me." Inko blinked at his words, it seemed that she didn't understand what it was that he was trying to say.

The young woman couldn't help but blush all the more though as she stared at Toshinori. The blonde king smiled at her as he pulled her closer to his chest. His eyes softening as he stared at the green haired woman as he looked at her. Swaying his body around as he held onto Inko in his arms.

"Toshi, am I really that special to you?" asked Inko.

"Yes. You are, I would do everything in my power to keep you safe." Toshinori promised, causing her to look up at him with confusion in her eyes. He just smiled at her, a smile that was so bright that it could have lit up the entire room. "Inko, if you are ever in danger, I would gladly fight to keep you safe. I would throw away my own life, just to make sure that you lived to see another day. If you are sad, I would do what I could to cheer you up. I would even act like a silly idiot just to get you to laugh."

Inko could only stare at him in confusion. It seemed that his words hadn't fully reached her yet. Well, he may have to bring out the big guns so to speak. Letting out a soft sigh, hoping to calm his nerves, the young man looked at Inko with a soft yet scared gaze. This was a moment of truth that would either save him or destroy him and he wouldn't force Inko to be with him. "Inko, you are important to me. The only one that is more important to me than my own life and my own kingdom."

"But why?" asked Inko.

"Because, I… I…" Biting his lip, he tried to think of his words on this one. Looking at her, he saw that she was giving him a concerned gaze. IT seemed that she saw the fear in his eyes and it was enough to show her that he was scared of what he was going to say. "Ever since I saw you, I knew you were special." Inko frowned a little. "Your eyes, they showed me just how beautiful your soul was and I feared that I would have tainted that soul. When you were assigned as my maid, I had hoped to keep my distance from you." Inko frowned all the more at that.

Shaking his head, he looked at her as he said "But I started to get to know you. You weren't bothered by the fact that I never showed emotion. That I always seemed to tell you what to clean even though I've never punished anyone."

"Because you are a good man." Inko added with a soft smile of her own.

He returned her smile before he went on with his speech. "But, soon I had started to realise something that I didn't think I had a right to. To feel something that I didn't think that I could ever feel and it only got stronger the more I got to know you. You have accepted everything about me even to uh…" He blushed a little more at his next phase of words. "Sensitive skin." He looked away for a moment before looking up at her. "You've looked out for me, tried to help me in any way that you could and I don't think that I could ever thank you enough for that."

"You don't have to thank me Toshi." Inko said with a frown.

Shaking his head, the young man gave her a small smile before he chuckled a little. Softly enough where it was drowned out in the music, but only loud enough for Inko to hear. Inko blushed at the sound of his chuckle. "Inko, I've tried to tell you this a while ago but… I got interrupted."

"Tell me what?" asked Inko with a frown.

"I love you."

Inko stared at him with wide eyes. Her eyes filling with tears yet refusing to spill over. Lifting her hand from his shoulder, she covered her mouth in shock. "Inko, I am in love with you, you are the only woman that I would want to be with. I don't care if you aren't a princess. To me, that doesn't matter."

"But… you are to marry a princess not a slave."

"I have never seen you as a slave Inko. I don't plan to any time soon. I love you, from your heart to your beautiful soul. I love you, for you." He leaned his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into her eyes. His eyes filled with nothing but love for the green haired woman that sat on the crook of his arm. Inko just stared at him with wide eyes, it seemed that this had surprised her to the point that tears streamed down her cheeks, having not been able to hold her tears back any longer.

He had thought that he had fucked up in some way. Not really sure what more he could do before he took another deep breath. "Inko, I don't want some princess as my bride, I want you. Please, tell me what you feel for me. I promise, should you love me I will make your life every day worth living. Every day I'll do my best to make you smile each and every day. If you do love me, I promise not to rush anything that you are uncomfortable with for I want to make sure that you have no regrets being with me."

Inko just looked at him, her eyes searching his as if trying to find any hint of a lie from the man. Though it seemed that no matter what, she just couldn't find anything but the truth from the man. A soft smile came on her face as she reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, causing him to stare at her with wide yet hopeful eyes. "I love you."

Those words were all that he needed to hear. Toshinori couldn't stop himself as he leaned in and captured her lips with his own. He loved the feel of her lips on his own. Knew that this was the moment of his life that he had been waiting for. That this was the woman that he loved more than anything in the world. Yet, as he kissed Inko someone saw the whole thing and snarled. There was no way that they would allow this to happen. King Toshinori will die, if not then the woman would.


	16. Shadows and Shocking Reveals

Inko couldn't believe it, she had kissed Toshinori. The king of this kingdom and she admitted that she loved him. Not that it wasn't true, but that was what her heart told her was right. That she was indeed in love with someone. A faint blush on her cheeks as she thought back to the kiss. Her heart even started to hammer around in her chest. How could it be that he, a king, had fallen in love with her?

She had no idea, but it made her happy. Though, what was she going to do about the All Might thing? Honestly, the young woman had no idea, but Inko just hoped that she would be able to get that sorted out in no time.

Looking around, she saw that Toshinori had taken off and it made her a little lonely. _'Where did he go anyway?'_ thought the green haired woman as she tried to think on where Toshinori had gone. They had enjoyed themselves dancing, even though it was mostly him swaying around with her sitting on the crook of his arm. It made her smile a little at the thought of that. Giggling to herself, the young woman looked up at the ceiling as she wondered what their future would hold for them.

She hoped that it would be a happy one at that.

"Inko?" came Zuko's voice, causing Inko to jump up a bit and swing herself around to stare at the masked guard. Letting out a soft sigh, she gave the man a small smile as she wondered what was wrong with him right then. "You okay?" He asked softly.

"I'm fine."

"Okay good, um where's the king?" asked Zuko.

Inko shrugged her shoulders as she said "He took off from me after we finished dancing." Inko blushed a little as she thought back about the dance. Zuko seemed to stare at Inko for a moment. If she could see him, she would imagined that he was blinking at her. "You okay?" asked Inko.

"Did he finally um… confess?"

"You knew he was going to?"

"I knew he had feelings for you for a while." Then he mumbled something about hoping it was done sooner but Inko just shrugged it off. Maybe he had been rooting for Toshinori to confess to her but hadn't had a chance to tell her about him loving her because something would come up or something. At least, that was what she guessed for the most part.

"I'll keep you company though until he comes back. Though I get the feeling he is going to do something silly or stupid-"

"Inko, please come up onto the front." Boomed out a voice, it didn't sound angry but it did sound serious. Inko turned to look at Zuko and saw as he frowned before shrugging his shoulders. It seemed that even he had no idea what it was that was going on here.

Carefully, she made her way over to the front of the room and blinked as she saw Toshinori standing there. His mask still in place but she saw a sparkle of happiness and love in his eyes. Now she knew, that that was what he was showing in his eyes the whole time. Love, and it was at her of all people. It made her heart thud quickly within her chest, making her almost think that it would burst from her chest in an instant.

Blushing a little, the young woman made her way over to the spot next to Toshinori and watched as he gave her a confident look in his eyes. She wondered what it was that he was going to do. Though she had a feeling that it was going to be huge, that it would change the very rules of the kingdoms and their rulers.

"Everyone, if I may have your attention please." Called out Toshinori.

No one heard him.

Toshinori sighed softly as he looked over at Hizashi and nodded his head.

Hizashi nodded his head and held his head back before throwing it forward as he let out a shout. **"Everyone quiet down as King Toshinori has an announcement!"**

As soon as those words left the man's lips, everyone had turned to Toshinori and watched as the king himself went to go on with his speech.

"Now, as many of you know I have refused to find a bride."

"Damn straight!" shouted someone from the crowd. Inko frowned a little at that.

"Yes, but that was because no one had caught my attention. Now, before I go on with my speech, I'd like to finally announce this. It was something that I have kept a secret for the time being and wish to finally put to rest." Toshinori calmly said before turning to Inko and she couldn't help but smile up at the man. He turned his attention back onto the crowd. "I am going to put an end to slavery. I think, it is enough to see that they aren't tools for our amusement, tools to keep our homes clean or anything in-between. They are people just like us. They have feelings, can feel love, sadness, and anger. We shouldn't be treating them like this anymore. I know that I will not allow myself to use slaves anymore. They will be my workers and nothing more." Toshinori called out, causing a bit of an uproar.

Toshinori sighed as he looked over at Hizashi and nodded at him once again.

 **"Quiet down!"**

"Thank you." Toshinori said before he looked back at the other royals. "I am sorry but treating them all like this is wrong and should have never been put into practice in the first place. I am putting an end to it right now."

A few people cheered while others booed at the idea of losing their slaves. It was a start, though Toshinori knew that he would make sure that he got everything dealt with. Turning back to Inko, it seemed that he felt more strength. At least, that was what Inko read from Toshinori as he smiled at her, a few people gasped as they muttered about the 'Emotionless King' showing a smile.

"One more thing, I am happy to announce that I have indeed chosen a bride." A few people mumbled among themselves before Hizashi was about to silence them once again. Yet when everyone suddenly turned their attention back to the blonde king. "My bride, is at my side here. Midoriya Inko, will be my bride. I do not care what you all think about my choice for it is my choice alone. Love is something that no one should ever question and I am still following a set of rules."

Everyone shouted until Hizashi used his quirk at them once again.

"The rules that I follow are the rules of my heart and nothing more. Inko is my choice and I am happily in love with this woman and nothing will change that." Toshinori said with a calm yet happy smile on his face, which seemed to have shocked everyone in the room. Inko couldn't help but smile at the king, her heart soared at the sight of his smile and was proud to see that he wasn't going to hide it anymore.

A smile like that was to be shared, to be treasured in other ways and she knew that he would never fully be over his fears of losing others but she would make sure that he never had a reason to fear it ever again.

He gave Inko one last smile before he allowed it to disappear. "If anyone judges my choice, if they are against who I wish to be with then leave. Because I do not want to hear it. For those who aren't against it, please enjoy your night." Toshinori said with a chuckle before he turned to look at Inko before a cold gust of wind swirled around the room. Inko looked around and frowned as she wondered what it was that was causing all of this.

 _"King Toshinori!"_

Toshinori seemed to freeze, Inko couldn't help but look at the blonde king for a moment before looking on ahead. There, a shadowy figure slithered its way up toward them. Toshinori acted and made his way over to Inko and held onto her as if to protect her. "It's you." He whispered, his voice sounded angry and dare she say it? Pissed off? "You finally show yourself!" Toshinori all but snarled.

 _"If I had known that you were searching for me, I would have revealed myself all that much sooner."_ Purred the shadow as it grinned, showing off its white sharp teeth. _"I thought sparing you would make you see things differently but it seems that maybe I was wrong so I'll have to end things."_

"See things differently?! You took my family away from me!" shouted Toshinori, his voice revealing just how angry he was. Just how much pain losing his family had caused him. He tightened his grip on Inko, wanting to make sure that she was safe at all costs. It seemed that Toshinori was going to keep his word about protecting her at the cost of his own life. There was no way that she would allow that to happen, she wouldn't allow him to risk his life for her. He had people who depended on him, a whole kingdom in fact. There was no way that she would allow him to die.

Just like how he was willing to protect her, she had to be willing to protect him.

 _"I had hoped that removing them would make you think of things in a different light of course. But, it seemed that you refused to think of anything other than to lock away your emotions."_ The shadow lifted his arms and shook his head in an 'I don't know' gesture before smirking down at the king and Inko. Licking his lips as if he was starving, hungry and this was his way of eating.

Toshinori narrowed his blue orbs on this creature and all but snarled at him. "I want you to leave this place! Get out of here!" A few of the guests backed up, scared as there was no one else that could fight the villain that had dared to enter the home of the Emotionless King.

 _"Why would I leave when I am just getting started!"_ shouted the shadow figure as he seemed to rush forward to slash his claws at Toshinori.

Inko felt as if everything had started to slow down. She had to make a quick decision but she knew what her choice was anyway. Toshinori was willing to shield her from the harm that this creature would cause for her. For him, and she knew that she couldn't allow this monster to hurt the man that she loved.

Tightly shutting her eyes, Inko looked up at Toshinori and quickly slammed her weight against the king. Toshinori yelped out in shock as he looked over at Inko with wide eyes as if asking her what she was doing. Inko gave him a small smile and looked up as she saw the shadow coming closer and closer to her. She felt her heart hammering in her chest out of fear, but at the same time Inko knew that this was the only way to keep Toshinori safe.

Inko tightly shut her eyes as she waited for the pain. Until a voice broke out through the silence.

 ** _"Don't you dare fucking touch her!"_** shouted the voice, causing Inko to look up just in time for Zuko to have jumped in front of her and crossed his arms over himself as the shadow creature slashed at him. Zuko yelled out in pain as he flew a little bit a ways from Inko only to groan in pain.

"Zuko!" shouted Inko.

"I'm fine!" Zuko said before he pushed himself back up and pulled out a vial from his pocket and sipped at its contents. What was that stuff anyway? "She won't hurt me again like that." Wait she? Wasn't this shadow a man? Zuko rushed forward and went to kick at the shadow, only for it to merely dodge the attack. "Damn it hold the fuck still!" shouted Zuko as he seemed to snarl in rage. "I won't allow you to do as you damn well please you fucking bitch!"

 _"Is that anyway to speak to a lady?!"_ the shadow spoke, its voice changing to a woman's which made Inko blink in shock.

"Zuko!" Shouted Toshinori as he pulled out his sword and leapt at the creature, hoping to hit her. Though the shadow just shook her head before slapping Toshinori into the wall. Everyone in the room started to scream and panic as they tried to get out of the room.

"King Toshinori!" shouted Zuko as he went to attack the shadow, only to be slapped away to the wall opposite from Toshinori.

Inko backed up in fear. Hizashi and Shouta weren't around either, most likely trying to help escort everyone out of the room while Toshinori was fighting the shadow, as was Zuko. She didn't know what she could do, it just seemed that everything was getting chaotic. _"You!"_ The shadow said, causing Inko to look up with fear in her green eyes. _"Because of you, you ruined everything. I'll make sure you scream in pain before I finish you off."_

 ** _"Stay the fuck away from my Inko!"_** shouted a familiar voice, causing Inko to look up and her eyes widened in shock as she watched as All Might, dressed up in Toshinori's clothes rushed forward and threw his fist at the shadow.

Inko could only watch in shock as she watched the fight take place. As she watched All Might throw a fist, she saw that he wasn't wearing his gauntlets at all, and it was in that moment that she saw the one thing that she knew only Toshinori had.

 _"It's a sign that he is the next and true heir to the throne. Or at the very least, the first born male to take the throne."_

Those were Shouta's words as she saw the lion birthmark on the back of All Might's right hand. There is no way that anyone, other than Toshinori should have it.

The shadow hissed at All Might as she snarled out _"You! The new holder of the quirk. I didn't think I'd see the day where I can finally defeat you."_

"Not today!" shouted Zuko as he jumped up into the air and went to slam his foot into the shadow's stomach. Which, it made contact.

The shadow gasped out in pain as Zuko's attack seemed to have packed in more power than it should have been possible. All Might jumped into the air and threw his fist into the shadow's face, hoping to knock it out. Yet, it seemed that the shadow managed to dodge quickly enough. Inko couldn't help but cover her face in shock as she tried to see what she could do to help. But, what could she do? It wasn't like her quirk was meant for this kind of thing.

Looking up at the shadow, she saw that it was trying to slash at All Might, no, Toshinori. She knew that it had to be the blonde king. After all, only the first born son of the king could have that mark and Toshinori was the only son. Zuko though, he seemed to know more than he let on as he told Toshinori not to get slashed at by the villain.

Clenching her hands into tight fists, she knew that she had to do something, but again what could she do? She could only attract small objects to her…

It was then that something sparkled at the shadow. Inko blinked as she looked up at the shadow and saw something sparkling within her line of sight. She couldn't help but blink in shock at what it was that she was seeing. Maybe she could use that to her advantage to help the two men out in this situation. If the shadow was distracted by something, it could work.

Smiling to herself, the young woman held out both of her hands and felt her quick activate. The pink aura surrounded her hands as she focused all of her power on the item in question. The shadow didn't seem to notice and for that Inko was thankful. Though it was hard for her to focus properly with the shadow moving so much.

 _'Come on guys, just keep her still long enough for me to distract her.'_ Inko thought to herself before pushing herself past her limit. Inko felt her mind straining as did her arms as she pushed more of her strength into her quick as she saw the item in question starting to glow in a soft pink aura.

 _'Got it!'_ She thought happily before she pulled her hands back. The shadow yelped out in shock as she was pulled toward the green haired woman.

"Inko!?" shouted both Zuko and Toshinori as they watched as Inko drew the villain to her.

"Attack her now! She's distracted!" Inko shouted.

It seemed that was all the men needed to hear as they rushed forward. Toshinori threw another fist, smacking into the villain's stomach seeming to knock the wind out of her lungs. Zuko jumped into the air and slammed his leg into the shadow's back, causing her to cry out in pain before snarling at the two men. _"You win this time but I'll be back with an army!"_ shouted the shadow before seeming to disappear. Toshinori and Zuko fell down to the ground, landing on their feet as they breathed deeply. Inko though sighed in relief for the most part.

For now, both men were safe as was everyone else.

Though she had a serious lecture to give to Toshinori.

"Toshinori!" shouted Inko, causing the huge blonde to flinch at Inko's shout of his name as he turned around and gave her a nervous chuckle.

"Uh…"

"When were you going to tell me that you were All Might? Were you going to tell me at all even after you had just… just confessed to me?" Inko had tears in her eyes. Toshinori frowned a little before shrinking down to his original size as he rushed toward Inko and held her in his arms.

He let out a soft sigh as he kissed her forehead. "I had just confessed Inko. I wanted to wait for the right moment to tell you but I guess that it wasn't the right time to do so but it wasn't in the cards for me to wait." Inko sighed softly, she couldn't stay mad at the man. Not when he had gone so far out of his way to keep her safe, looking up at him she saw that he was giving her a serious look. "Though I should be angry as you shoved me out of the way to keep you safe. Why did you do that?"

"Because you shouldn't just be focused on me but your kingdom."

"I don't give a damn Inko. You are more important to me, I want you at my side, and I love you and… I can't bear the thought of losing you. If Zuko hadn't jumped in when he did you would have…"

"She would have lived."

"Huh?"

"Not for long though." Zuko said with a sigh as he rubbed at his hand. Inko frowned a little, a little confused at his words before she looked down at his hand. Seeing that his glove had been ripped off in the process during the attack. "Wished I got that bitch though, she needed to be taken down. I failed." He said with a sad sigh before dropping his hand.

"Let me take a look at that." Inko said as she got out of Toshinori's arms and made her way over to the masked guard. He tried to protest but Inko gave him a look that silenced him. "You will not give me and lip, you just saved my life and I will treat your injuries." Inko shouted at him before she took his hand in hers and went to check his hand for any kind of injury.

"You don't need to do that! Stop!" Zuko said in a panic trying to get her to look away from his hand.

Brushing aside the shredded remains of his glove, Inko blinked as she saw one thing that she had never thought she'd see. Looking at the back of the young man's left hand, she saw causing her to look up at him with wide eyes.

"Inko?" Toshinori said as he made his way over to Inko and frowned in concern at her sudden silence of concern over the masked guard. "What is it? What's wrong?" asked the king.

"Toshi, look at this." Inko said, not sure if she even trusted her own voice right now. Her mind had gone into shock over this, not sure if she could handle the idea that this could even be a possibility. It just didn't seem to make any kind of sense, there was no way that this could be true. Toshinori was too young for this to be a possibility!

"What the?!" Toshinori said sharply, causing Zuko to flinch. "How do you have this Zuko?!" shouted Toshinori, his voice raising as he glared at the masked man.

For on the back of his left hand, was a birthmark. A roaring lion just like the one that Toshinori had on the back of his right hand.


	17. Zuko's Real Identity

"Who are you really?" Demanded Toshinori. He didn't know what it was that was happening, but he felt as if things were either getting even more confusing or clearer. He finally found the person who killed his family but they took off again before he got a clear hit in that would have knocked them out. Curse it all to hell.

Zuko looked around, a frown on his face before he looked back at Inko and Toshinori. "I'll explain, but can we go somewhere privet please? I don't want anyone else hearing, plus you may think I'm crazy." Toshinori frowned a little at the young man. It was strange enough to see that he had the same birthmark as himself, no one else should have that as only the first born son should always have it. Any daughter in the line wouldn't have it but their child wouldn't have the mark unless the first born son was killed off.

It was a weird thing for sure but it was just how it worked for the most part.

There shouldn't be anyone that has his mark other than himself or any future child that he would have should the child be a boy.

"Toshi, I think we should listen to what he has to say, and let him explain." Inko said with a frown on her face. He looked at his future bride and frowned a little at that. He knew that he shouldn't take requests from someone but, at the same time Zuko saved Inko. Had done everything he could to help fight off that shadow creature and knew that he had to at least give Zuko a chance to speak.

Toshinori sighed softly before nodding his head. He knew that he was going to regret this but knew that he needed these answers more than anything. Toshinori had noticed, that while Zuko fought he was like a different person, someone on a mission. Someone who had lived a hard life to get at where they are today. It seemed rather odd, that was for sure though Toshinori knew that he still couldn't just let his own personal feelings judge everything yet.

He had to be sure that Zuko could still be trusted.

"My study isn't far let's go." Toshinori said as he started to make his way out of his study. Though, he frowned as he looked over at Inko as he saw her picking up something with her quirk. "Inko?" He called, causing her to look up and gave a small smile before pocketing something and made her way after the two men. He knew that she had found something, and he'll have to ask her about it later but for now he had more important things to deal with.

Running a hand through his hair, he knew that today had been rough on all of them. To think, it had turned out great at first, finally being able to confess his love to the woman of his dreams and of course, chose her as his bride. Then it went to hell after the announcement and he almost lost her. Then of course Inko finding out about him being All Might, now that was something that he had planned to tell her but not in this way.

Then of course fighting that shadow creature and Zuko's birthmark being revealed to the both of them. How was that even possible in the first place? He hoped that Zuko had a damn good explanation because there is no way that it could be real.

Though, then again if it wasn't real and just paint he wouldn't have had to wear gloves at all times of the day nor would he have to wear a mask to hide his face. Ugh, so many things that he had to figure out but at the same time he had no answers.

Turning his attention back to Inko, she seemed to be in deep thought. Maybe she was trying to figure out how her quirk worked on that shadow creature? Even he had no idea, he knew that she had been able to latch onto something that pulled the creature toward her, not to mention distracted the creature so Toshinori and Zuko could attack it. Though did Inko pick up something that had fallen off of the shadow? Such as a personal item that would identify who it was?

To think, all these years he had thought that the shadow creature was a man. But it was a woman, yet how did Zuko know that? That had to be something that he would have to explain as well. There is no way that he would allow the man to not answer everything. He had to make sure that he explained everything that was going on. And of course, he would make sure that Zuko removed that damn mask, if he was going to talk, he would make sure that the young man took off his mask and the rest of his glove.

He had to make sure that this wasn't some kind of trick to get his title. After all, a lot of women tried to worm their children into his castle in the hopes that they were of royal blood of his family in one way or another. Though that had failed as his father was an only child, as was the rest of his father's family but his mother was a twin much like Toshinori and his sister Miyoko. They tried to say that Miyoko had a child but he knew that was false as she was too shy to even speak to another man outside of the family, let alone have a child.

Shaking his head, the young man felt a headache coming on. This was going to be stressful that was for sure though the end result would be worth it. At least, he hoped that would be the case. He just hoped that Zuko didn't say anything that the younger man would regret later.

"Okay here we are." Toshinori said as he opened the door, allowing Inko and Zuko to walk in before he followed suit. Locking the door behind him, he wouldn't put it past Hizashi to suddenly barge in like he has in the past. It still irked him how many times the blonde man had barged in when he was either trying to kiss Inko or, when he tried to confess to her. Looking back, he saw Zuko pacing back and forth, it seemed that he was nervous about this and he has a right to be.

Walking over, Toshinori made his way over to his desk and grabbed onto Inko's wrist, holding her close as he sat down as he looked at Zuko. "Explain. Now."

Zuko looked up at Toshinori and Inko before letting out a soft sigh. He scratched the back of his head as if he was trying to find the right words to explain this. "Well, I guess I should start off with my name." Toshinori raised an eyebrow at that. Wasn't Zuko his name? That couldn't have been a lie was it? "My real name is Yagi Izuku."

"What?!" Toshinori all but shouted, his blue eyes narrowed into slits. "That isn't true! I am the only Yagi left in the line, there is no way that you can be a Yagi." He knew for a fact, he was the only one left, he had searched for another Yagi but had come up empty handed. That much was true so there is no way that it could be possible!

"You're right, at the moment you are the only Yagi by blood."

"Huh?"

Zuko, no, Izuku let out a soft sigh as he paced a little back and forth. "I have mentioned before my king, that I am an orphan right? That my mother died in childbirth and my father died when I was sixteen due to his injuries and the loss of my mother?"

"Yes, I remember that."

"That wasn't a lie, but I have changed that fate from happening. At least, part of it from happening as there is still more to come." Izuku said with a soft sigh before he looked at both the king, and his intended bride. Toshinori just narrowed his eyes, this made no damn sense. It couldn't be possible, there is no way that this man was even speaking the truth. It just can't be!

Toshinori narrowed his blue eyes at the young man before him. There is no way that he could allow this lie to keep going. The young man had to be lying, he had to be lying about everything! Some kind of delusion that had been set up with the man. "Tell me the truth!" Toshinori all but slammed his hand on the table and growled at Izuku.

"I am. I'm not from this timeline, I'm from the future, you have to believe me." Izuku said with a frown.

"You can't be from the future. It isn't possible for time travel." Toshinori pointed out.

"If it wasn't for the fact that my quirk, my natural born quirk, is a mutation of my ancestors from mom's family. I am a child of this kingdom, I am the child that you, King Toshinori, will have with Inko in a few years' time." Izuku calmly said, which only made Toshinori and Inko stare with wide eyes, a deep blush on their faces. How dare Izuku say such a thing to them! They had just confessed for crying out loud and now he was claiming to be their child from the future?!

"Prove it."

Huh? Toshinori looked down at Inko and frowned a little as she displayed a seriousness on her face that he had never seen before. "Prove that you are a child of ours from the future. Take off that mask…"

Izuku just stared at the two of them for a moment. As if thinking about the pros and cons about what would come of him coming clean. About confessing who he really was to the two of them and Toshinori knew better than anyone, that if this was indeed their future child, then he would have to look like them.

Toshinori wanted to see this for himself. To see what this young man looked like without his mask, he had to know. Just had to know what this man looked like without the mask covering his face anymore.

Izuku sighed softly as he reached up and started to remove the mask. Toshinori stared in shock, he didn't think that Izuku would remove his mask, he must be serious about his claim of being the son of Toshinori and Inko from the future for this.

As he removed the mask from his head, Toshinori made out thick curly green hair that reminded him of Inko's hair, though it had a blackness to it as well but was mostly green. His cheeks dotted in freckles that Toshinori knew that he didn't have, though maybe someone from Inko's family did? Izuku reached for his eye mask before he removed it and blinked his eyes a few times, yet Toshinori knew those eyes better than anyone.

It was Inko's eyes, but they had a spark within their depths like his own.

Inko gasped out in shock as she stared at the unmasked man before them. It seemed that she had come to the same conclusion as he did.

He really was their future son, but how? How did Inko's quirk mutated into this? To allow their future son to come this far back in time? "How?" Was all Toshinori could ask.

Izuku sighed softly before he started to explain his story. "In my time, the world is surrounded by darkness. By shadows created by one person. Someone who wanted you to suffer for all eternity as a user for One for All."

"One for All?" Inko repeated with a frown.

Izuku gave a nervous laugh as he said "Oh right, dad never explained that to you yet. Uh…" It seemed that the green haired man wasn't sure if he should explain it or not, Toshinori just sighed and waved his hand saying to hold on a moment.

"One for All is the quirk that I use as All Might. It is a quirk that my master, Nana bestowed upon me after the death of my family. Seeing how, even while gravely injured I was willing to keep fighting. I wouldn't allow myself to go down until I could no longer move so, she trained me to keep fighting." Toshinori explained before looking at Inko and frowned a little at her confusion. "Nana was a powerful guard in her own right. Thanks to being the seventh user, Nana trained me until I was ready to take her quirk and after that, she disappeared. I don't know what happened to her only that she never came back. I assume at this point that she's dead."

Inko couldn't help but frown a little at Toshinori from that. He gave her a small smile as he said "It's fine, I just hope that she lived a full life."

"Um…" Izuku said, causing them both to look up at them in confusion. "I really do hate to say this but, she didn't live a full life. Nana had gone off to fight the man that the original owner's brother gave him."

Toshinori stared with wide eyes at this. But, how would Izuku know this? "Word would spread about her demise in a couple years, after you had given your quirk to me and after the war had started. Nana fought, and killed All for One, but sadly his legacy still lived on."

"What do you mean?" asked Toshinori.

"All for One, had a child, a daughter that wanted revenge on any user of One for All, as Nana used the last embers of the quirk left behind to kill him. That shadow, is the child of All for One… and she wants to start the war."

Toshinori frowned a little more as he looked at Inko. Who would have thought, that before he thought their future to be nothing but bright but now, it was nothing but empty darkness. "In fact, the part of the future that I did managed to change was the injury mom would have received."

"Huh?"

"If mom had been hit, she would have been poisoned. The poison, not being treated in time would have weakened mom a great deal to the point that…"

"She died in childbirth."

"Yes. It's why I stayed close to you both, I wanted to prevent it from happening. I didn't want to lose either of you. It was hard, growing up without you mom, if it wasn't for Tenko I would have been alone after dad passed."

"Tenko?"

"You uh… you both kinda adopted him." Izuku said with a small smile. "Surprise?" He chuckled weakly. Inko and Toshinori felt like their worlds are being toppled over but they still had to learn more about this. They still didn't even understand the power of this quirk in the first place!

"What about this quirk of yours? How does it work?" asked Inko.

"Well, in order for me to travel back there have to be a few conditions that needed to be followed once I understood."

"Which are?"

"I can't be around in that point of time, and I have to have on me an object, an item that was there in that point of time." Izuku said with a sigh as he reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace with two rings on them. "I carried both of your wedding rings, which allowed me to travel in time. And of course, One for All would allow me to travel this far back to make sure my body wouldn't be torn to shreds from the strain."

"Strain?"

"If I went too far back, my body would be ripped to shreds. Just going this far back, it hurt my body but I'm still strong enough to handle staying back until the job is done. I just went a little too far back, a year before mom came here." Izuku said with a sigh before looking up at his parents. Toshinori and Inko were still trying to process everything that was happening. The king didn't think that this could get any stranger than it already was but damn it, the proof was right there.

It just made it all the harder for him but he knew that he had to be careful at the same time. If Izuku came back in time just to stop this, to stop his dark future then so be it. Yet… "But, Inko can only pull small objects to her and I was originally quirkless, so how…"

"There was someone in the family with a time travel quirk, but it was almost never used. The quirk will appear in the family once in a while, and it just so happens that I was the chosen wielder for this quirk this time around. I only wanted to use it to help you." Izuku explained with a small frown on his face. "I'm sorry, I know that it was wrong to lie but I couldn't reveal myself to you both. I know if I did too soon there was a chance that you both wouldn't have confessed and… I wouldn't be here."

Inko frowned at that, as did Toshinori. So that was why he hid himself, gave himself a new name to go by until he could ensure not just their safety but his own existence just so he could protect his parents. A life without them had to have been lonely, even with Tenko there.

Toshinori set Inko on the floor before pushing himself up and made his way over to Izuku. The blonde towered over the green haired young man though Izuku was still far taller than Inko it seems. "I'm sorry, but I had to lie. I know how much you hated it when Tenko and I lied growing up but, I figured since this lie was to keep you all safe I-" Izuku didn't get a chance to speak more as Toshinori pulled the young man into a hug. "Dad?"

"It had to be hard. But, I'm sure that my future self wouldn't have cared if you lied about this, you did it to protect yourself along with us. So, I know I can't be mad about it." Toshinori said with a chuckle as he patted his future son on the head.

"I can't be mad either." Inko said softly.

Izuku sniffled a little at that. It seemed that the young man had been holding up so many pent up emotions that it was over whelming and he couldn't help but grab onto his father and cried his heart out. "Just like his mother." Toshinori whispered softly. He felt like, that this whole mission that Izuku had gone on, had really worn him out, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It was a wonder how he was able to keep this act up for as long as he had.

"Izuku, we may not be your parents yet as of now but we are still proud of you." Inko said as she made her way over to him. Izuku looked over at his mother and more tears streamed down his face. He pulled himself away from Toshinori's arms and hugged Inko, as he cried all the more.

 _'Definitely like his mother… he's a crier but, I don't care… I'll protect him and his mother better this time.'_ Toshinori promised himself.


	18. Exposed

Inko didn't know that this was going to happen. She knew that something was going to happen but to find out that her son from the future came here to stop her own death, along with an injury that Toshinori was to sustain in the future during the war. But, if they could stop it, nip it in the bud while they could then they could prevent all of it. There was no way that they could lose this war right?

Looking over at the side of her bed, she saw Usagi curled up in a little ball purring away. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. The kitten was nothing more than a ball of fluff but it made her happy to see such a thing. Reaching over, the young woman ran her fingers through the silky fur, causing the kitten to let out a meow.

"I hope our future is still bright Usagi, or at least has a chance at it." Inko said with a sigh before walking over to the door. She may be Toshinori's future bride, but for now she still saw herself as his personal maid. During the fight, she had seen that he got some bruises so she would have to tend to them before he made himself worse plus, she had nothing against causing such a reaction from the man though knew that she still had to be careful at the same time.

Inko heard Usagi meow at her, causing her to smile at the little kitten. Maybe Toshinori could use something that could distract him while she tended to his bruises. Maybe petting a kitten would help him relax, even just a little.

Scooping up the kitten in her arms, Inko carefully opened the door and made her way over to Toshinori's room. It was still fairly early so he was most likely still asleep or just starting to get up. She'll have to get him food after she finishes tending to his injuries.

Once she reached his door, the young woman knocked and heard him shuffling. Either she had woken him, or he had already been awake. "Toshi?" called Inko.

"Come in."

Inko opened the door and saw him pulling out his medical supplies. She could faintly smell herbs, most likely to help with the swelling and discolouring of his skin. "You okay?" Inko asked with a frown on her face. Seeing Toshinori turn around, he gave her a small smile and she couldn't help but frown as she saw a couple new scratches from the shadow creature. Then she remembered that Izuku had told them about the claws. Eyes widening, she was about to panic until Toshinori held up his hand to silence her.

"Izuku gave me the antidote when he remembered I was scratched. I'll be okay, I won't suffer the fate that was once meant for you, no one will again." Toshinori said gently, wanting to reassure her it seemed. How was it that he was trying to assure her of something when it should be the other way around? It just didn't make sense to her. After all, it had originally been her fate to have been hit, not Toshinori's and not Izuku's. She knew that but it had been prevented.

Inko gave him a small smile before pointing to his bed. "Sit down, I'll tend to your injuries." Toshinori blushed a little at the thought of Inko's touch. She just shook her head before holding out Usagi. "I want to see if petting Usagi will help distract you for the most part. I'm thinking that if you are distracted, you won't even notice. Has that been tried before?"

"No, I think they were too embarrassed by my own reactions than anything else." Toshinori answered before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He looked up at Inko with a frown on his face as he asked "What if it doesn't work though?"

"If it does, that's great. If not it isn't the end of the world." Inko said with a smile on her face. Toshinori returned her smile before he reached out one massive hand for the tiny kitten. Inko smiled and carefully set Usagi in Toshinori's hand and watched as he pulled the kitten close and started to pet her. The kitten just seemed to purr away in content.

"Surprised she likes me." Toshinori said with a chuckle.

"Animals know who they can and can't trust." Inko calmly said before she made her way over to his little desk and started to grind up the herbs. She noticed that a lot of them had already been grounded up into a paste. Smiling to herself, the young woman made her way over to Toshinori and looked up at him and saw that he still looked a little nervous about her touching him. "Just relax, okay? Keep petting Usagi and think of something else." Inko suggested to the man, seeing him nod, he closed his eyes as he started to pet the kitten once again.

Smiling, she sat on the edge of Toshinori's bed as she carefully started to wrap up Toshinori's bicep. The man shuddered a little at the touch but it seemed that he was okay. Carefully, she started to wrap up his bruised arm and hummed a soft tune, hoping that would also help him get through this.

Looking at her handy work, Inko walked over to the basin of water that Toshinori had set aside to clean up his wound and grabbed it before she started to get to work on the injury on his stomach. "Surprised that she scratched through your armour."

"It's not really strong. It's only made to stretch with my transformation when I switch from Toshinori to All Might." Toshinori explained, a nervous chuckle escaping him.

"You should be more careful." Inko pointed out before wiping at his stomach. He shuddered and moan, not expecting the contact right away. "Sorry."

"No, no it's fine. I think I deserved it for upsetting you." Inko raised an eyebrow up at him. "Not like that Inko." He muttered with a blush. She couldn't help but smile a little before giggling. Toshinori pouted at Inko a little before she wiped off his stomach a little more, causing him to shudder though not as bad. Must have been preparing himself for it before.

Once she was done cleaning up his injury, she grabbed the bandages and herbs as she laced the injury with the herbs to help heal them sooner. Peeking up at him, she asked "Is that the only scratch?"

"Yeah, otherwise I just have bruises." Toshinori mumbled with a sigh. Inko giggled a little before reaching over and grabbed more bandages before wrapping his stomach. Toshinori had to hold the kitten up above him so she could wrap his stomach. Which was a little difficult for her to do as she did have to press herself against the man as she started to wrap up his abdomen.

He gasped through clenched teeth, she knew that this must be torcher for the man but knew that this had to be done. "Just keep your thoughts on Usagi. Not on me." Inko calmly told him before going back to work on his injuries at hand. Toshinori shuddered a few times, with her cheek rubbing against his abdomen, though he seemed to be listening to her words. Inko hummed to the man, hoping to calm him down knowing that this was bothering him more than it should but, made sense with how sensitive his skin is.

Once she was done, the young woman pulled herself back and watched as Toshinori fell onto his back on his bed. He groaned a little, while Usagi just walked up to his chest, and curled up under his rapidly beating heart and purred. Inko giggled at the kitten before crawling over to Toshinori and frowned at him.

The man's face was a soft pink, he was breathing deeply. It seemed that for now he had reached his limit so she would give him some kind of break for the time being. Giving him a small smile, she settled for snuggling up against his side. He shuddered a little before looking down at Inko. "I just want to snuggle you a little before tending to the rest of your injuries." She said softly before letting out a soft sigh.

Toshinori looked down at Inko with a soft gaze before he reached over and ran his fingers through her green locks. Causing her to look up at the man with a soft blush on her face. He just smiled before pulling Inko a little closer to her as he kissed her gently. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too Toshi."

"I wonder… I can't help but keep thinking. What my future self had gone through when he lost you." Toshinori whispered, causing Inko to frown. "He didn't have you long, because of an injury that had weakened you to the point that giving birth took…" He couldn't even finish. He bit his lip as he took a deep breath, feeling as if all of his strength had left him. It hurt him, Inko could sense that much from the man. "He lived, every day for Izuku and Tenko in the hopes to move on but I guess… I was so deeply in love with you that I couldn't keep moving anymore. You are my life Inko, without you, my life is nothing. I know that it shouldn't but… you are the only one for me. The only woman that I would ever want to be with and nothing will change that."

Inko looked up at Toshinori and watched as his eyes shined with a deep sadness. She could clearly see it, he was afraid of losing her. The ball, what could have happened had Izuku not been there, she would have been lost to him in a couple of years with the birth of their son. The thought of losing her scared him more than he would ever want to admit.

Reaching up, she carefully placed a hand on his cheek, watching him close his eyes as he leaned into her touch. "Toshi, you won't lose me. Izuku made sure that I wasn't hit. Made sure that I would be around for the both of you along with Tenko. I will be there for my boys and my future husband."

Toshinori opened his eyes as he gazed down at Inko. She couldn't tell what it was that he was feeling in that moment, but she knew that it was mixed in with relief but still held a hint of fear within their depths.

Giving him a soft smile, the young woman knew that she had to reassure him. "Toshi, I will do everything in my power to stay with you. I would fight, with every ounce of strength that my body has in order to stay with you and the boys. Nothing will stop that." She nuzzled his chest, causing Toshinori to shudder a little at the contact. Inko giggled a little at that, but knew that she still had to be careful with him. Pecking his cheek, the young woman calmly said "Toshi, I know nothing will happen to me, you are here and you can keep me safe much like you promised me."

Toshinori smiled down at Inko before kissing her forehead. "You're right, I did promise to keep you safe. Plus, I know you are strong enough to stay with me." He chuckled a little and nuzzled her cheek a little before giving her a soft expression as he gazed at her. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe, I just hope we can find that shadow creature before she comes back and attacks you."

Inko nuzzled Toshinori, causing him to moan a little as a shudder went through his entire body. She couldn't help but peek up at Toshinori as she gazed at him and blinked innocently at him. "I should punish you for teasing me like this." Toshinori said with a chuckle.

The young woman couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Inko hummed as she walked down the hall with Toshinori. He wasn't going to make her do anymore chores it seemed, but he didn't mind eating with her, or her tending to his injuries. In fact, after they were done cuddling on his bed, he had told her that he would only allow her to treat his injuries. Mostly because he didn't mind her touching his skin even with how sensitive it was as she was willing to give him breaks between when he was at his limit.

Giggling, the young woman looked up at Toshinori and couldn't help but frown as she saw that Toshinori must have gone back to his 'emotionless mask' and it made her wonder if it was mostly out of habit. Reaching up, she gently tugged at his cape, causing him to look down with confusion. "Are you trying to hide what you feel again?" asked Inko.

"Sorry, I don't even notice it. It's hard to change something that I've done for over ten years." Toshinori said with a sigh before giving Inko a soft smile. "But, I won't lie, you make me want to smile more." He chuckled a little before walking into the dining hall. Inko couldn't help but smile as she saw that a few of the workers were starting to pack up their plates and go to the back. Looks like it would be just her and Toshinori.

"Toshinori!" Shouted a new voice, causing Inko to blink as she looked over and saw a beautiful woman rushing to him and all but tackled the blonde.

Toshinori narrowed his eyes as he carefully shoved her off of him. "I have told you before Princess Kira, it is _King_ Toshinori to you. Why are you still here?" He all but snarled, Inko couldn't help but stare at Toshinori with wide eyes.

"But you are to be my husband. Remember?" Kira said with a smile on her face. Inko couldn't help but frown until she felt Toshinori wrap his arm around her. Inko couldn't help but look up at the blonde king with a soft blush on her face. "What are you doing? You should be hugging me!" shouted Kira.

Toshinori sneered down at her as he calmly said "I have told you time and again, I do not want you as my bride. I have already chosen, if you were at the party then you would have known that."

"I thought it was a joke!" Kira said with a pout, trying to be cute and adorable.

Toshinori glared at the princess before him and Inko. Holding her closer to his side, Inko let out a squeak of surprise before looking up at Toshinori. "I would never joke about such a thing. I do not lie, I am an honest man which you know nothing about. Now, get out of my sight and never come back."

"But you were to be my husband." Said Kira before she looked over at Inko and glared, only to gasp out in shock. "Hey, that's my necklace!" Kira said as she gestured to the necklace that resided around the green haired woman's neck. Inko looked down and frowned a bit, she had hoped to wear this necklace so she could find the owner. Thinking that the shadow would come out and look for it once they saw that it was missing.

Though Inko just looked at the woman, as if searching something in her eyes. If she could read Toshinori and Izuku, then why couldn't she be able to read this woman? Just staring at the woman, Inko saw something there alright. It was dark, evil, sinister and had no real source of having a heart. How was that even possible?

"King Toshinori!" shouted Izuku as he rushed to them only to stop dead in his tracks. Inko looked over at Izuku and frowned a little as he seemed to be staring in shock. At least he wasn't hiding his eyes anymore for the most part but the rest of him he did hid from everyone else. "You." Izuku said with a growl.

"Zuko?" Toshinori said with a frown.

Usagi meows, climbing up Toshinori's back and settled on his shoulder before looking at Kira and hissed at her. "Usagi?" Inko said with a frown that matched Toshinori's.

"Ew a cat." Kira said with a sneer.

The cat hissed and yowled loudly before attacking the woman. Kira yelped and cried out in pain before the cat had managed to tear her dress sleeve. The sleeve of her right arm and it was then that the air around them went cold. Toshinori stared in shock as he seemed to shake. "Toshi?" Inko said as she looked up at her future husband.

"That… that scar." Toshinori whispered in shock, his whole body kept shaking. Though she couldn't tell if it was due to rage, hate, anger or even fear for that matter. Inko didn't know what to do, it just seemed as if everything that the man was starting to connect in his head was starting to make him shake, and his body even seemed to pulsate with power due to his anger. She wasn't sure if he was going to change in that instant, but she knew that something was wrong.

"Toshinori?" Inko said with a frown as she reached up and touched Toshinori's shoulder, hoping to calm him down. Kira grabbed the kitten and all but threw the poor animal and cried out in anger as her eyes all but seemed to glow a bright red. "Toshi!" Inko all but cried out as she held onto the blonde haired man.

"You, you took everything! The whole time, I had thought that the shadow creature just took off. But really, she was under my nose all along!" Toshinori allowed his body to shift as he rushed forward to try and grab onto the woman. The woman just laughed as she slithered in shadows and appeared behind Inko and wrapped her arms around her. "Inko!"

"Sorry, I hate to 'dine and dash' but I have big plans with this woman. She took you away from me after all so I may as well… end her." With that, the woman created a portal behind her and laughed as she and Inko disappeared.

"Toshi!" shouted Inko as she tried to reach out for the blonde.

"Inko!"

"Mom!"

Inko found her world covered by darkness.


	19. Truth

Toshinori had chased at where Inko once stood, rushing to her in the hopes of grabbing onto the green haired woman only to fall once she and Princess Kira had vanished. Slamming his fist into the ground, cracking the tile as he cursed every known curse in the book. _"Inko!"_ shouted the blonde, feeling as if he had just failed her. He failed the only woman that he could ever love. The one woman that he had given his heart too!

"Dad, we will save her. I know where she is." Izuku said with a frown as he rushed to his father. Helping the fallen blonde up onto his feet with some difficulty as Toshinori was still massive compared to the green haired young man.

"Is this why you didn't like her?" asked Toshinori softly, he was trying to hold in everything. Not wanting to explode with his emotions at the moment.

"I have heard stories about her from you in my time. You have mentioned how much the woman irritated you. How you always had this dark feeling." Izuku said with a frown as he crossed his arms across his chest. "There have been rumors otherwise. Though I can't be sure as to how true the rumors were."

"Such as?"

"Uh… well, I couldn't confirm them with you since you had uh… already passed but, the rumor was that someone who called himself 'All For One' had a child with someone and they had inherited his quirk before he died years ago, both in this time and mine. But no one could prove such a thing."

"Wait, All For One is dead?" Toshinori said with a frown on his face. He didn't think that the man was really dead. So that was why he had never seen the man but, if that was the case then what about those who are stealing the quirks? Kidnapping those with powerful quirks? Crossing his arms across his chest, the young king frowned a little in deep thought. It is possible, but he couldn't be sure.

Shaking his head, Toshinori looked over at Izuku as he said "Time to remove the mask and go save your mother. If you are still here, then she is still alive. We have to hurry."

Izuku nodded his head as he removed his mask and showed Toshinori the determination on his face as he got himself ready for a fight. A fight that would decide the fate of their future. Though they just hoped that Inko would be okay. They had too much riding on this, too much to lose. If Inko died, Toshinori would be heart broken, and Izuku would cease to be.

"Toshinori?" came a voice, causing the king and Izuku to turn over and blink as they saw Tenko. Usagi was in his arms as he looked up at the two adults with wide red eyes. "Where's Inko?" He looked ready to cry as the tears started to build up in his eyes. He was turning into Inko that was for sure though Toshinori knew that he had to comfort the boy. Turning to Izuku, he nodded his head to him before walking over to the young boy.

Picking Tenko up into his arms, he calmly said "My boy, I will not lie to you. She's been kidnapped but we are going to save her. Nothing will stand in my way, I will make sure that she is back with us safe and sound."

"Can I come? I want to help." Tenko said with a sniffle.

"Sorry, but it is too dangerous for you to go. If you went, there is a chance that you wouldn't be safe. The shadow may go and attack you."

"Shadow?"

"Yes, it was a woman who can turn into shadows that took her."

Tenko started to shake, it made Toshinori and Izuku frown a little in confusion at that. Turning his blue eyes to Izuku, the green haired man tilted his head before saying "He got like this too during the war. He would start shaking for some reason. He never did tell me, saying that as my older brother it wasn't my burden to carry."

Toshinori turned back to the sniffling boy in his arms as he asked "What do you know about the shadow woman Tenko? Do you know anything at all?"

"Mommy and daddy were her slaves. They were only placed there because my grandma was a warrior and had heard about how the king was treating us and went to help mommy and daddy." Tenko said with a sniffle, snuggling himself a little closer to Toshinori's chest as if trying to keep himself safe from the story itself. "Grandma was able to stop the king, but… she died in the process leaving me, mommy and daddy alone to deal with the princess. She treated us horrible day in and out."

"Tenko…" Toshinori whispered.

"We were abused, she would have killed me but mommy and daddy managed to hide me and told me to run." Tenko said as he started to wipe at his eyes. Toshinori couldn't help but frown in concern. This boy had gone through so much. It was no wonder why he was so jittery around people, not to mention why he seemed a little nervous around the blonde king at first until he remembered that the king had saved him. "I watched mommy and daddy die."

Toshinori couldn't help but look at the boy with wide eyes. "Oh Tenko." Izuku whispered in shock.

"Toshinori, who's that guy?" asked Tenko.

"Oh, that's-"

"He looks like Inko."

"Well you see-"

"Why is that? Did Inko get turned into a man by a quirk?"

"No Tenko he's-"

"But-"

"Tenko!"

"Sorry."

"That's Zuko, well, his real name is Izuku and I can't explain everything now. I'll have to leave you with Shouta and Hizashi. We're going to go save Inko from-"

"Princess Kira?" Tenko said with a sniffle.

"How did you?"

"Princess Kira is the mean princess that killed my mommy and daddy, my grandma killed the king who called himself All For One."

Toshinori's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

Inko groaned a little. Her whole body hurt, going through that portal or whatever it was made of. It brought her to another castle. She knew that it wasn't her home as it was far from the one that Toshinori had. This one, it felt cold, evil. It made her shudder at the feeling, though she knew that she would have to find a way to get out of here. To escape and get back to Toshinori, Izuku, Tenko and the others.

"So you have awoken." Came Kira's voice, causing Inko to look over in shock. "To think, the one person who could reawaken Toshinori's desires and feelings would be a slave like you." Kira said with a sneer.

Inko glared at the woman, trying hard not to show the fear in her eyes. This was the woman that had caused everything, the death of Toshinori's family. The reason why the man was afraid to show any kind of emotion to anyone. Why he had felt that he had to hide what he felt in order to protect himself from getting close to anyone. From allowing himself to have any kind of bonds with anyone. The woman who had tried to kill Toshinori himself years ago.

She had never felt so much hate for someone in her life. To think, before Inko had only really ever hated her past masters, this woman though, took that lead by a landslide. "You killed Toshinori's family and tried to kill him!" Inko all but shouted.

Kira laughed before pushing herself up from her throne and made her way over to Inko and smirked at her. "Kill him? No, I would never do that to him." Running her fingers through her hair, the princess went on. "I only wanted his family out of the way. I had hoped, that his loneliness would be enough to him that he would need to marry and pick me as his bride. Yet, he eluded that duty for years." Kira snarled a little, her hands sparking in flames before she started to calm herself.

"So you hoped, that killing his family in cold blood would have made him love you?!"

"Yes, but that plan failed. So, I tried to make myself known in his life more often in the hopes of him loving me but every time, he would deny me that." Kira said with a dramatic sigh as she leaned back in her seat. "To think, my father when he was alive told me that I could have anyone and anything I would ever want."

"But you could never have Toshi, that's why you want him. Because he is the one thing that never wanted you or wanted to be near you." Inko narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't see Toshi as a person, you see him as an object to have on your pedestal. As something to rule and conquer, something to possess because he is the person that rejected you."

"Shut up!" shouted Kira as she snarled at Inko and narrowed her eyes. "What makes you so special to Toshinori?!"

Inko narrowed her eyes more into slits. This woman thought that she could have anyone in her life. Thought that way of thinking was the reason why Toshinori was the way he was today. Why he had to hide his emotions. The reason why he became 'The Emotionless King' was all because of this woman's fault. "You still tried to kill him with his family."

"No, I just wanted him down for the count. I avoided any important organs that he would need to live off of. I just wanted him to be in too much pain to stop me. Though, I have to admit he is a powerful man. Having been able to stand on his feet, after such an injury no less. To think, he wasn't even a fully trained warrior." Kira said with a laugh before giggling to herself.

Inko could only stare in shock at this woman. It seemed that this woman did in a way have some kind of heart unless she only spared Toshinori because she wanted him alive. Because she wanted to be his queen. To have him as the one thing that took her longer to take than anything else in the world. It just made Inko know one thing that was all she needed to know about this woman.

She was nothing but pure evil.

"Though, the one thing that I was rather surprised about was that he had One For All. I was sure that Nana still had the power herself but it explained why I couldn't take the power from her after all this time." She smirked, her once beautiful face consumed with hate, green and evil. "To think, my future husband will have the power that was used to destroy my father, the true power and not the embers!"

"You'll never have Toshinori!" shouted Inko.

"Oh? What makes you think that?" sneered Kira as she placed her hand on her cheek with a fake look of concern on her face. "Oh right, because his heart already belongs to another right? Because he had chosen you of all people to be his bride?" Kira mocked before pushing herself up from her seat and made her way over to the green haired woman and smirked down at her. "That is right, Toshinori's heart does indeed belong to you but, I just have to crush that now won't I?" She giggled a little before reaching out and swiped at Inko.

Though, Inko had managed to grab something, it was soft so she figured it was a pillow before throwing it in Kira's face. Making a mad dash to get out of the room. Hiking her dress up as she ran as quickly as she could. If she could just get outside, find someone that would be willing to help her then she should be fine. Right? That was all that she had to do.

Was to find a means of escape and get herself back to Toshinori and everyone at the castle. There was no way that she would allow herself to die here. She had to live, had to be with Toshinori before it was too late!

Inko knew that she had to keep running. Though unlike Toshinori's castle, she had no idea where she was going. Every corner looked the same. It just seemed as if the whole castle was against her. That it was going to do everything within its power to make sure that she stayed trapped in here. That she could never leave, that she was going to die here.

Nothing was going to stop her though. She had to make sure that she was able to get out of here. That she had to make sure that she could escape, that she could return to Toshinori and Izuku.

There had to be a means for her to escape this place. To find a way out of here, in order to get back to her family, to get back to the people who care and love her. She wouldn't allow herself to die here.

"Toshi, I hope you are coming to get me, because I'm trying to get to you." Inko pleaded, she just hoped that she could get out of here in time. There was no way that she would allow herself to die, the young woman just wished that her quirk was more powerful. That she could do something else other than bring small objects to herself. This was no way to keep herself safe. She knew that she had to think of a means of protecting herself.

But what could she do?

She was pretty much as good as being quirkless.

Tightly shutting her eyes, Inko made a sharp turn, slamming herself into the wall in the process. "Gotta keep moving." Inko said to herself as she kept running forward.

"Oh you think you could escape me?" came Kira's voice, causing Inko to look around wildly. She wasn't sure where the woman was, there was no way that the woman could be around. It just seemed as if she was anywhere, other than in front or behind her. So where could she be?

"Did you really think I would allow yourself to escape? That I would allow you to _live_ for that matter. Before Toshinori even arrives, I'll kill you. Or even better yet, maybe I'll kill you in front of him. Without you in the picture, I'll be able to have him for myself."

"Never, I won't allow myself to die. I have too many people depending on me!" Inko all but shouted as she narrowed her green eyes at the shadows. Having a feeling that the woman was hiding within the shadows. If she could become shadow, then what difference did it make that she could hide in the shadows or even travel through them?

Not wanting to find out, Inko ran down the hall, and it was a good thing for a moment not long afterwards, a burst of flames shot out of the shadows where she had once stood. Inko screamed out in fear as she tried to push herself faster. Trying to push herself harder so she could get out of here and get away from this hell.

 _'Toshinori, please hurry! I'm scared right now!'_ Inko thought as tears streamed down her face.

"Hello!" said Kira as she appeared out of the shadows. Inko cried out in shock as she quickly turned and made another sharp turn. Though this time was able to prevent herself from running into a wall. Why was it that this woman was mostly just tormenting her? That she was trying to mess with Inko until the woman seemed to give up and would just give herself to death.

Though, Inko knew that she couldn't allow herself to do such a thing. There was no way that she would allow that to happen. She would never, ever give up hope. The hope of escaping this place and returning to Toshinori was far more powerful than her fear. Than her despair to this mad woman that was just tormenting her.

Shaking her head, Inko blinked as she found herself at a dead end. No! "No!" She shouted out in a cry before she went to turn back, hoping that she would be able to get out of this place before it was too late. Yet, before she could even get far, Kira emerged from the shadows, causing Inko to back up in fear. Her back pressing against the stone walls as she stared at the woman as she seemed to walk forward toward the green haired woman.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I think the little game is over now. Let's get this done shall we?" She made her nails grow out into long sharp blades. Inko went pale at the sight, she felt like this was it. That she was going to die before she could have made Toshinori happy. Before hearing the man laugh anywhere other than his room or his study.

She had wanted to see him be happy. To show his emotions anywhere without having to hide and now she felt like that was never going to happen.

 _"Toshinori!"_ shouted Inko.

 _"Inko!"_ shouted a male's voice, causing Inko to look up with a frown on her face. Looking around, she saw that Kira had also stopped in her tracks trying to find the source of the voice. Yet, before they could even utter a word, a shout was heard as someone seemed to slam their fist into the wall. Inko looked over and blinked in shock as she saw Toshinori's fist through the stone. Her heart thudded quickly in her chest at the sight.

"Mom!" Izuku shouted as he jumped over the rubble and rushed over to the green haired woman. "Oh thank goodness you're alright. We got to you in time." Izuku said with a soft sigh.

"Izuku?" Inko said with a sniffle.

"You bitch." Growled Toshinori, causing Inko to look up and blink in shock. The man, the very man that she loved didn't have his emotionless mask. No, far from it. He was showing so much rage, so much hate that Inko was sure that he had given himself to darkness but there was still the desire to protect within his depths. He wasn't fully gone, still there but at the same time he still wanted revenge. "You took my entire family from me, I don't know why but I'll make sure you don't hurt anyone ever again." Toshinori snarled as he marched forward, in his All Might state before glowering down at the princess.

Inko knew, that this was a fight that could either save, or destroy the future.


	20. No!

Toshinori didn't think that he could feel this angry. Sure, he was when he saw this monster attack and kill his family in cold blood. But now, he was pissed. First this woman, who had annoyed him for years just to be his bride, only to find out that she was the reason for the deaths of his family. Then of course she has the gull to kidnap his Inko. There is no way that he will ever forgive her.

This woman, was going to die today. By his sword, the sword that was left of his father.

"Oh Toshinori, you came for me!" Kira said with a big smile on her face. Her eyes all but sparkling but deep down, Toshinori knew that this was an act. That this was nothing more than a front that she put up to make people think that she was indeed a good person but really, she was evil reborn.

When Tenko had brought up that his parents had worked here, had been the slaves to the princess along with her father. It made him sick to his stomach. As he also learned that Tenko, was the grandson of his master Nana. That Nana had managed to stop the great evil that the holders of One For All had been destined to do.

Now, here he was. Facing off against the daughter of that monster.

Narrowing his blue eyes, he snarled at the raven haired woman and stepped forward as he stood in front of Inko. "You took my Inko, I won't forgive you for that and everything else that you have done!" Toshinori shouted.

"Oh but Toshinori, all that I've done I've done for us!" Kira said with a pout on her face.

Toshinori felt his eyebrow twitch as he glared at her. All that she had done? She claimed that it was for them? Did she really have such delusions that she claimed that he would still marry her even after that she had done to him? To everyone around her? There was never going to be a them, not ever.

Looking over at Inko from the corner of his eye, the man saw that she was trembling. Inko must have been running for her life with how heavily she is breathing. He reached over and gently patted her hand, hoping to comfort her. Inko looked up at him, tears in her eyes as she gazed up at the blonde king. He knew that he had to hurry, that he had to finish this off while he had a chance to do so.

"Inko, stay with Izuku." Toshinori calmly said before walking forward as he looked at Kira. The raven haired woman couldn't help but tilt her head at the blonde king as she wondered what it was that he was going to do. "Kira, I'm going to stop your reign of terror once and for all. For all the crimes that you have done against the royal family and the future bride to the Emotionless King." Toshinori snarled.

"You aren't really emotionless now are you? You sure are showing a lot of rage." Kira said with a tilt of her head once again. Giving him an innocent look on her beautiful face.

"Because I don't have a reason to hide my feelings anymore. Something that Inko had taught me, no matter what comes my way. No matter what tries to get to those I love and care for… I have enough faith in myself and those I care about… to keep them safe, and that they will fight to keep themselves safe." Turning back to Inko, he couldn't help but smile at her gently before narrowing his blue eyes back to the woman in front of him.

If one were to look into the blonde's eyes, they would see a storm brewing within their depths. He had never allowed himself to feel this angry before and honestly, he didn't give a damn. This woman had ruined every moment of his life thus far. If he had never met her, never knew her then his family would have still been alive. Though he wasn't sure if he would still know Inko in the first place.

"But Toshinori, would you still attack a woman even knowing what she had done?" asked Kira with an innocent look on her face.

A look, that only made Toshinori bristle at the sight. Gritting his teeth as he let out a scream before rushing forward. Sword in hand as he went to attack her. Yet, what he had seen made him stare in shock as she made her arm turn into a blade and blocked his strike. "Oh, I guess that answers my question. I am so thankful that I had loaded myself up with quirks before this." She let out a dramatic sigh as she gazed at Toshinori with a frown on her face. "I had hoped that, you would have ruled by my side but… I guess that won't happen. I'll have to make do though and try to take control over you instead!" She giggled at the thought.

The blonde king couldn't help but narrow his eyes. He wouldn't allow that to happen. He would have to fight with everything that he could muster. The power that he could form with the blade within his hand. He had hoped that he would be able to give a quick and clean death, though that seemed out of the question as she seemed rather impossible to get near enough to do such a thing if she has different kinds of quirks.

"So it was you kidnapping everyone. What did you do to them?" asked Toshinori.

"Oh, I took their quirks and threw them out of course. They were of no more use to me once they were mindless." She said with a giggle before giving Toshinori a twisted smile. He knew that would have been his answer, though it didn't mean that he was going to like it any more than had she tried to lie.

This woman had no heart, it was as if where a heart should be was nothing more than a black abyss of nothingness. How was it that this woman could be like this? That she could be this cruel? Shaking his head, the young man knew that he had to hurry and take her down. He had to make sure that she never hurt another person ever again. There was no way that he would allow this to continue as it had.

He would have to do the one thing that he never saw himself ever doing before. Toshinori knew that he would have to kill a woman. Tightly shutting his eyes, the young man had known that killing was one thing that he had to come to terms with. After all, he had killed a man while protecting Inko and Tenko from that villain. But to have to kill another, it had felt like it chipped at his soul each time he had to do such a thing.

But, he could at least do one thing merciful. He could give her a swift and painless death. Not wanting to be the one thing that he hated more than anything in the world.

A monster.

Narrowing his eyes, the young man jumped back as he held his sword tightly in his hands as he snarled at the woman before him. "Princess Kira, for your crimes against the Yagi Royal Family, you are sentenced to death by my hands!" Toshinori declared.

Kira just blinked her blue eyes innocently before giggling like crazy, only for that to turn into dark laughter. "Really?! You think you can kill me?! I won't allow myself to die. I have a world to take over, and nothing you do will change that." Kira said with a crazed smile on her face as she rushed at Toshinori. Her arm still sharp as a blade as she rushed toward the blonde.

Toshinori stared with wide eyes before he managed to block the strike with his sword. He knew that he would have to think clearly. Knowing that if he got himself hurt there was no telling what could happen. This woman could have laced her blade with the toxin that would have badly weakened Inko should it have hit her at that point of time.

Acting quickly, he kicked at Kira, sending her flying. Only to watch as the woman all seemed to levitate in the air as she gave Toshinori a twisted smile. "Oh Toshinori, you couldn't stop me even if you had the power to. You are too good of heart, too pure to want to really kill me." She said with a giggle.

Toshinori snarled, gritting his teeth as he glared at the raven haired woman. "No. I will kill you. It is my duty, as the king of the Yagi household. No matter what, you will be taken down. I won't allow you to keep living as you do, you will die here by my hands." Toshinori snapped before rushing forward and went to slash at her. He pushed all of his power into his legs as he jumped into the air, slashing at Kira in the hopes of landing a hit. Any kind of a hit really.

Kira tried to block but hadn't expected the blonde to jump up into the air it seemed. For the moment that Toshinori swung his sword at her, he managed to hit her shoulder. Yet, he hadn't been able to get another hit in as the woman faded into the shadows. Hiding herself, most likely trying to find a means of jumping out to attack him.

Narrowing his eyes, Toshinori tried to find a source, to find any kind of indication that she would jump out to attack him. He would have to think of a way to kill her before she could go and attack Izuku and Inko. Turning his gaze to them for a moment, he saw that Izuku was keeping an eye out, hoping to keep his mother safe. That was something that he could be proud of at the very least.

Not that Izuku hadn't made him proud already and he wasn't even born yet in this time.

Before he could even speak though, Kira jumped out of the shadows, slashing at Toshinori's arm, causing him to gasp out in pain as he looked over just as she disappeared in the shadows again. "Come out you coward!" shouted the blonde.

He got no answer from her. IT seemed that she was going to make sure that he kept guessing where she was going to shoot out of next. Snarling a little, the young man tried to find some way to get the element of surprise on his side. Or at the very least to refuse it. Yet, it just seemed that no matter what he did, nothing would come to him.

Before Toshinori could even react, he felt pain in his right side, causing him to hiss sharply through clenched teeth. Damn it! He tried to swipe at the woman with his sword, but it seemed that it wasn't meant to be as she merely hid back into the shadows. Damn it, he had to keep trying. Had to keep trying to get a hit, he had to at least try!

Taking a deep breath, the young man knew that he had to think clearly. Had to open his mind to allow himself to sense when she would strike. To when she would attack him then he could give the finishing blow. At least, he hoped that it would be a finishing blow.

Inhaling through his nose, and exhaling through his mouth, closing his eyes, the young man opened his other senses. Hoping and praying that he would be able to make any kind of a hit. He just had to focus, using his other senses, just like how he was taught. Such as how he had trained everyone to do, to trust in their own instincts, to trust in their own beliefs and desires when it came to fighting.

This time, he was going to listen to it, and make sure that he brought that desire to the surface. To protect his family, to protect the woman he loved, to protect his kingdom and everyone from this woman. He would make sure that no one ever got hurt because of this woman. Even Izuku, would have a happy future when the time came.

He could faintly hear a rustling behind him. Could faintly smell the expensive perfume hitting his nose as she seemed to be getting closer. He could almost hear herself emerging from the shadow, he knew then that she was coming out to attack him. Eyes snapping open, Toshinori spun himself around and slammed the flat side of the sword into Kira as she jumped out at him.

Letting out a gasp, Kira stared at the blonde man as she went flying in the air. This was the moment of truth, the moment that he had been waiting for. He would finish her off! He'll kill her and keep his future, the future of everyone safe from this horrid woman!

While she was in the air, Toshinori jumped after her. Dust exploding behind him as he rushed forward. He went to slash at Kira, managing to cut through her dress sleeve as he cut her arm. Not enough to cut it off, but enough so that blood seeped from the wound.

"How dare you!" Kira shouted at the blonde as she went to strike. Toshinori managed to dodge before throwing a fist at her. He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him, wouldn't allow himself to stop. He would keep living, keep fighting until he could fight and stop this incarnation of evil. "You will never stop me Toshinori!"

"I will! I will make sure that you never harm anyone ever again!" Toshinori shouted as he swung his sword at her, slashing at her leg. Causing her to scream out in pain. He knew that that sound chipped at his soul, but then his body remembered that he was only doing this as a means to stop a great evil. That he was doing this for a reason. He had to keep fighting, had to keep going in order to protect not only his family, but everyone.

All the people in the world were depending on him, even if they didn't know it. He didn't care, this had to be done. Had to be stopped! He had to keep going and stop her at every possible turn!

Kira snarled at Toshinori as she thrust her hand out and went to shoot out flames from her hand. Toshinori though, wouldn't allow it as he swung his sword once again, slicing her palm. The princess cried out in pain as she held onto her hand. Snarling at the blonde king, she threatened to kill everyone, it seemed that she was done playing the 'innocent' princess card. There was no way that he would let her go now it seemed.

She was far too gone in her own darkness at this point.

Which of course made it so much easier for him to take her down now. Rushing forward, Toshinori went to stab her, in the hopes that he could just finish her off in a single blow. Yet, Kira seemed to have seen that coming as she threw up a wall of ice around herself. Toshinori snarled as he threw a fist, smashing the ice in a single punch. Kira screamed out in shock as she tried to get away.

"Please don't kill me Toshinori! I'm sorry! Please, spare me!" shouted Kira, which seemed to have only set Toshinori off in his hate.

"Spare you? Did you spare my parents?" Toshinori snarled out at her. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the man, seeing that this was no longer the same person that she had tried to get to love her all these years. This was a man consumed by rage and hate. "Did you allow them to live as they begged and pleaded for their lives?!"

Kira couldn't say a word it seemed as Toshinori just narrowed his blue eyes at her. Eyes, that once just held electricity within their depths held nothing but a storm that was never going to end. A storm that showed nothing but his desire to kill her in that instant. "You killed them, took their lives all for what? So I could marry you!? To take advantage of my own misery in the hopes that I would have taken you as my bride?!" Toshinori tightened his hold on his sword as he glared at the woman. Her body shook and trembled as she tried to fight off the ever consuming fear that was in her eyes.

"Please Toshinori, spare me." Kira pleaded, tears in her eyes. A part of him wanted to believe that, wanted to believe that she could change. Damn it all, he wanted to believe in that but at the same time he couldn't even do that. He knew that someone like her could never change. She had all that time to change but she never took that chance. Instead, she just decided to make other people suffer in the hopes that she would have won him over in the end.

"I don't have any reason to spare you. You have no heart, you have no soul left to spare with all the lives you had ruined. For trying to kill Inko, for trying to force myself to take you as my bride, for killing the last king, queen and the princess of the royal family!" Toshinori snarled, he raised his sword above his head in the hopes of giving her the final killing blow. There would be nothing that would stop him this time around.

"The blood of the innocent stains what is left of your soul, even now I can hear their cries as they plead for you to spare their lives but you have simply refused." Toshinori exclaimed before he went to slash at the woman with his sword. To give the finishing blow…

Only for her to sink into the shadows, or more like the shadows simply consumed her. Toshinori frowned a little at that. Normally Kira just disappeared into the shadows, not them consuming her like that. So, did that mean that she was dead? That she was finally gone? Frowning a little, the young man shook his head before he heard Inko calling out to him.

"Toshinori!"

The blonde king turned around and couldn't help but smile as he watched Inko rushing toward him. He couldn't help but feel joy as the woman of his heart rushed toward him. It almost felt as if their lives could finally be peaceful. Yet, there was a part of him that had found the whole thing to be rather… easy. That was far too easy for it to have been possible really. As if the whole ordeal was just another ploy but, he couldn't be sure of that.

Sighing softly, the young man made his way over toward Inko. Even though, she wasn't a princess by blood, she was his princess. The only woman that would hold his heart for him.

"Inko, I'm so glad that you're safe." Toshinori said with a big smile on his face.

"Dad, I think everything will be okay now." Izuku said with a smile, one that rivaled his father's.

"I sure hope so my boy." Toshinori said with a chuckle, he turned to look at Inko only to frown as he saw that her skin went pale. Turning his gaze to his future son, he saw the same expression. "What's wrong?" He asked with a frown. Not really sure why they would be looking at him like that.

"Toshi behind you!" shouted Inko.

Toshinori turned his head to get a good look at what was behind him. He felt the world slowdown in that instant. There, Kira floated in the air with her once blue eyes glowing a deep crimson as she stared at the man who she had once wanted him to make her his bride. Now, all he could see from her was hate, and malice.

 _"Time to die!"_ shouted Kira as her arm turned into a sword once again. She slammed her arm through Toshinori's chest, he gasped out in pain as he looked down and saw a blade sticking out from the left side of his body.

Blood dripped down his lips as he coughed up blood, and watched as the blood stained his clothes.

"Toshinori!" Inko shouted.

The blonde just looked up as he watched Inko rushing to him. He felt everything starting to leave him, his breath, and his sense of touch. Hell, Toshinori didn't even feel himself fall to his knees before falling over. Surrounded by a pool of his own crimson blood. The last thing he saw, was Inko flipping him over screaming out his name. His vision started to go dark, the last thing he saw and heard, was Inko's crying face as she sobbed out his name.


	21. It's Finally Over

Inko couldn't help but stare at Toshinori's unmoving body. How could it be that he was taken down in one hit like that? Her tears build up in her eyes as she couldn't help but sob at him. He couldn't be dead. There was no way that Toshinori could be dead. More tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the man. His smile, long gone. Eyes still open showing the shock that had once filled them. Yet, his long bangs, for the most part covered his eyes from her view.

It was better that she didn't keep seeing his eyes.

Eyes, that had been so expressive now were empty and void of life.

Her shoulders trembled as she bit her lip, trying to keep herself from outright crying her pain. She tightly shut her eyes trying to stop the flow of tears. Yet, her heart, she felt her heart crying out for her. The only man that she had ever felt a connection too. The only man, that had ever made her feel so happy and alive for the first time in her life.

Someone that she had loved… was dead.

"Dad!" shouted Izuku, he looked pissed. He was angry, his eyes, sparking much like Toshinori's as he glared at the woman who had taken his father's life. Inko couldn't help but just stare at the blonde man whom had done so much for her and yet she had done nothing for him. "You bitch! I'll make sure that you never hurt anyone ever again!" shouted Izuku as he went to fight off Kira.

Inko ignored it all though.

The only thing that she cared about was Toshinori. "Toshi?" She said with a sniffle as she reached out to him. She noticed that his lips were even parted, the shock having effected his entire face as he looked at the woman as she stabbed him in his chest. "Please wake up." Inko said, her heart breaking at the sight of the man that she wanted to marry.

Tightly shutting her eyes, she carefully lifted Toshinori's head into her arms, rocking him back and forth as she sobbed. How could this be possible? How could it be that she had to lose the one good thing in her life? It just wasn't fair, the one time that she had been wrong, wrong that she would never find love and now that she had it had to be taken away from her.

Was this how her life was supposed to be? That no matter what happened in the flow of time that she would never be allowed to be happy? That she would always be forced to suffer her fate to hurt in some way?

Sniffling, she just rocked back and forth with Toshinori's head resting in her arms, his resting against her chest, right against her heart as she hummed a song under her breath. Trying to keep her breathing steady and even as she tried to have some kind of last moment with Toshinori. Just wanting to enjoy the warmth that his body provided before it would grow cold from a lack of heart beat.

Yet, it was a hard thing to do, having to let go of the one good thing in your life that was for sure. Inko buried her face against his blonde locks, feeling the silky strands against her cheek, feeling them as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was a feeling that she wanted to always remember. A feeling that she never wanted to forget. It was something that he hoped that he could never forget. "Toshi, please don't leave me." Inko whispered softly under her breath.

Looking down at Toshinori, Inko couldn't help but stare at Toshinori. His eyes seemed to have closed on their own, she wasn't sure if that was the case. Or if his body was trying to put itself to rest, she had no idea. Though she knew that she had to accept it now.

Accept, no matter if she wanted to or not, that Toshinori was gone and was never coming back.

Inko couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't take the feeling of heartache as she tightened her hold over his body. Her body shook and trembled with pain, both emotionally and physical pain. She let out a loud scream that was long, loud and filled with nothing but her own pain and suffering. It had felt as if her heart had left her. Her heart, left her chest and had fallen to the ground and shattered into a million tiny shards.

"Please don't leave… _don't leave me! Toshinori!"_ Inko shouted to the heavens, not sure if anyone would dare hear her calls. To hear her pleas for him to stay with her. To bring back Toshinori as more tears streamed down her face and onto Toshinori's cheeks. His closed eyes seemed to have been sprinkled with her tears by this point.

"You bitch! I'll make sure that you never hurt anyone ever again! I'll make sure that you'll suffer!" Izuku said with a snarl. Inko couldn't help but sniffle as she heard bits and pieces of the battle take place. It made her think more about Toshinori. The way Izuku spoke, it reminded her of him. Made sense, he was their son after all.

She couldn't help but give a weak laugh at that.

It amazed her, Izuku was so much like herself but also like Toshinori that it was almost frightening and she felt like he would have been a great king should the kingdom have survived long enough for him to have even been a king in the first place. Sniffling, Inko couldn't help but stare at Toshinori as she whispered "Toshi, please wake up. You have to wake up… just… just don't leave me please." Inko whispered softly, trying to find a way, anyway to get him to somehow open his eyes, but it seemed that no matter what she said, he just wouldn't open his eyes for her.

"Look at what I got here!" Said a voice, causing Inko to look up in shock as she saw Kira standing over her and Toshinori's body.

* * *

 _Toshinori groaned as he found himself in some kind of darkness. He felt as if his whole body was in pain, as if it was hard for him to breathe properly. Why that was, he had no idea, but he knew was the last thing that he remembered. He was fighting Kira, then she had disappeared. But after that it felt like it was a blur for him from there on out._

 _Shaking his head, the young man looked around in the dark void. Trying to find a way out of here. There had to be a way out of here, had to be a way back to… to… "Who do I have to go back too?" asked Toshinori, not sure who he had seen before appearing here. He knew that it had to be on the tip of his tongue, but what was it? Who was it? Ugh, this was going to drive him nuts that's for sure._

 _Taking one last look around, he started to follow an unknown path. Well, he couldn't really see a path but he knew that he had to do something. If he didn't move, then he would have no idea if he could escape from this place or not._

 _"Anyone there?" asked Toshinori, hoping and praying that there would be someone here that could help him. Though, again that was asking for a lot, he wasn't sure if there was even anyone that could help him at this point._

 _Looking around, he couldn't help but feel rather cold and lonely. As if there was a part of him that was missing. He couldn't be sure as to what it was that he was missing though. It just felt as if there was a huge part of him missing, that someone out there held the missing piece to him but he couldn't be sure as to who it was. Who anyone really was for that matter. The only thing he could recall was his name, and the battle that lead him here._

 _Mostly._

 _"Toshi?"_

 _Blinking his blue eyes, the young man looked around wondering who had just called out to him. He knew that only those close to him could call him that. Frowning a little, he called out to the voice. "Hello? Anyone there?" He couldn't help but frown a little more as he went to call out to them again. Until their voice stopped him._

 _"Please wake up."_

 _Why did this woman's voice sound so broken? So sad and alone? Who was she? Also, why did his heart beat painfully in his chest? Not to mention the pain that resided at the left side of his chest, just a little further away from his heart. Had he been injured recently? Frowning a little, the young man shook his head as he tried to call out to the woman. Tried to let her know that he was here but he wasn't sure how he could even reach her._

 _It just felt as if every time he spoke, his words either couldn't, or wouldn't reach her. Was he in some kind of world that was separate from hers?_

 _"Toshi, please don't leave me." The woman whispered, her voice still sounding so broken. He felt as if everything that he tried to do, that could reach out to the woman he couldn't help but frown in worry about her. But why was that?_

 _Reaching up, he placed a hand over his chest as he felt the pain in his chest. Felt as if this woman's pain was his own. He knew that he had to do something to calm her yet, again he had no idea how to do that. He just knew that he had to do something for her._

 _Gritting his teeth, it was on the tip of his tongue on who she was. What she meant to him but no matter what it would escape him within moments of coming to him. Besides her voice, all he could hear was her sobs, he knew that he couldn't take this anymore, he had to hurry up and get back to her. How that was, he still held no idea but it wouldn't stop him. He'd do everything within his power to make sure that he returned to this woman, who ever she was to him._

 _"Please don't leave… don't leave me! Toshinori!"_

 _"I don't want to leave you! I want to stay with you! My heart will never leave you so long as I hold strength within my body, I promised you that I would always make you smile, I never wanted you to be sad over me!" Toshinori shouted, hoping that his voice would have reached her. More sniffles followed him in that moment. He knew that it didn't reach her then._

 _Letting out a soft sigh, the young man looked up at the sky as he tried to think on what he could or should do. It just seemed, that everything that happened, it just wouldn't leave him alone._

 _"Toshi, please wake up. You have to wake up… just… just don't leave me please"_

 _"I'm sorry!" Toshinori shouted, rushing around in the darkness, trying to find any kind of way out of here. He knew that he had to escape. Hearing her cry like this, begging and pleading for him to stay with her. Not to leave her. He knew that he had to do something in order to return to her but… "I'm sorry." Toshinori fell to his knees, giving up any kind of hope that he could return to her. No matter what, nothing worked for him._

 _"Please forgive me, I don't know how I can return to you." Toshinori whispered, covering his face as he let out a groan. He didn't know what he could do, didn't know if he could ever get out of here._

 _'You'll just have to remember her name, and the love you share.' A voice said, causing Toshinori to lower his hands, trying to find the source of the voice. Looking around, he wondered who it was, the voice sounding so familiar to him but he couldn't find anyone. He was alone, he knew that much. Yet, he felt like someone had been here just now._

 _"Remember… her name…" Toshinori whispered to himself, wondering if he could remember her at all._

 _Closing his eyes, he tried to picture the face to that beautiful voice. He could picture a pair of beautiful eyes, the colour of green emeralds. He couldn't help but smile at the sight really. Pale pink lips that made him want to kiss them at any time he ever wanted in his life. Something that he knew that he'd never grow tired of feeling against his own lips._

 _Skin, naturally pale but not overly so to the point that he would be worried for her health. She also had long, beautiful green hair that made him want to reach out and run his fingers through the silky strands. She was important to him, he knew that. His heart reached out for her, yearned for her more than anything in the world. Yet, a part of him knew that he had to think more about her._

 _The warm feelings that he felt thinking about her. His heart thudded in his chest, feeling a warmth swirl itself in the pit of his stomach as well as his heart. He knew, that his cheeks were pink thinking about all the memories that had started to flood his head. Opening his eyes a crack, Toshinori whispered her name. Finally remembering her name, and of course the danger that she was in._

 _"Inko…"_

* * *

Inko looked up as her gaze fell on Kira. The very woman whom had taken Toshinori away from her. Tightening her hold over the blonde, she narrowed her green eyes at the woman. "Stay away from us!" Inko shouted at her. She would never allow this woman to take Toshinori away from her.

Kira smirked down at her as she shrugged her shoulders and laughed a little. "Now why would I do that? You know, you're the reason why Toshinori is dead." Inko narrowed her green eyes, only to look around as she frowned a little in confusion. Where was Izuku? Did… did he disappear because Toshinori was… "Oh, that green haired man? He's knocked out. Won't lie, he is a tough little man but I still prefer Toshinori."

Inko tightened her hold over the blonde. This woman, was she sick enough to try to take the body of a dead man and try to use it? Most likely, but she wouldn't allow it to happen. She would never allow it to happen. Until there was no breath left in her body, Inko would never allow Toshinori to be taken away. He would need to be buried properly.

"Do you know why he died because of you?" Kira said with a smirk.

Inko's responds was merely a glare.

"Because he is a fool." Kira said with a growl. Inko just glared harder as she stared at the woman. The same woman that had taken Toshinori away from her. "He was a fool for wanting you as his wife. When he could have had me, a princess. A beautiful woman whom was worthy of the title 'Queen' not some slave like you."

"He isn't a fool. He is a good hearted man who would do anything for what was right. You are nothing but a monster! You killed his family just so he would be with you!" Inko shouted, wanting to do something. Wanting to protect Toshinori but she wasn't even able to fight back. Her quirk, useless as it was.

"Oh but he was a fool. He should have just said yes when our parents tried to set us up. Though when they saw how much he seemed to have hated me they decided against the wedding and walked away. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands." Kira said with a giggle as she looked down at Inko with a twisted smile. "Now, he's dead because he wouldn't accept that he and I were destined for each other."

"He was _never_ your destiny. If he was, he would have agreed to do so long ago! He chose me, and you are nothing but a jealous petty woman for thinking that he had to be with you only." Inko shouted, her eyes filled with hate, as well as the remaining tears that had yet to fall over. Looking down at Toshinori, she ran her fingers through the blonde locks before gently cupping his cheek against her hand.

Toshinori, he was a great man, that much she knew for a fact but she just hoped that one day she would get to join him as well but, wasn't sure when that would be. "I loved him, and he loved me and you took that away. I don't want to be without him but I knew that, if I died now that it would have been in vain."

"Oh, don't worry." Kira said with a soft smile. Only for it to turn evil and twisted as she sneered down at Inko with hate. "You'll be joining him shortly!" The woman shouted as she went to stab Inko. Inko yelped as she quickly tried to shield Toshinori as she let out a loud scream.

 _"Help me!"_ shouted Inko.

 _"Gah!"_

Blinking, the young woman frowned a little wondering why she felt no pain. She felt fine, as if she had never been hit in the first place. Not to mention, the scream that she had heard wasn't her own. So, who would it have been? Who had taken the hit?

Blinking her eyes, she looked up and blinked in shock as she saw Kira with a sword in her chest. But what he surprised her, was the hand that was holding onto the hilt of the blade. Kira looked down in shock as she whispered "But… how…?"

"You missed my heart." The voice said with a smirk, before Inko could even process anything, the man ripped the sword out of Kira's chest as he said "May you rest in peace Princess Kira." His breath sounded a little wheezy before he found himself falling back on the grass and groaned in pain. Inko couldn't help but look at the man with wide eyes, her hand covering her mouth as she just stared at the man before her.

He looked over at her and gave her a small smile. "Hey Inko, didn't mean to worry you." His smile grew a little before he let out a cough that was accompanied by blood.

"Toshi!" Inko shouted as she rushed to him and hugged him. Her body shook with tears as she cried out, never knowing just how relieved she was until that moment. "But how, she stabbed you in the chest! Why didn't you wake up sooner?!"

Toshinori looked up at her and gave her a frown before letting out a soft sigh. "She thought that she stabbed my heart, but no. Lucky for me I moved myself a bit over and she only stabbed my lung, I guess the shock and pain was what knocked me out. I was in a way dead I guess, found myself in a dark place. Or I was in some kind of coma, no idea how I was there or what happened to me."

Looking up at Inko, he couldn't help but give her a sad expression. "I didn't even remember who you were, and I'm sorry but… I could hear you. Your voice was what brought me back but I had to wait until she had let her guard down. I'm sorry, but for a little bit, I had to play dead."

"You had me scared Toshi! I thought I lost you! Why couldn't you give me a sign that you were okay?!"

"Because, if I had to fool Kira I… I had to fool you as well I'm so sorry." He whispered before coughing more blood from his lung.

"Let's worry about you for now… I'll lecture you later, we need to get you some help." Inko said with a frown as she added "I'll go wake Izuku and we'll take you back home." Inko gave him a small smile before kissing him. At the moment, she didn't care if his lips were tainted with blood, she had him back. That was the only thing that mattered to her, nothing more and nothing less.


	22. Small Loss

The final battle with Kira to say the least, was something the least. It was a horrible thing and no one got away unscathed. Izuku just got a scar on his shoulder from the attack, while Toshinori got the worst of it. It had been hard for him to keep his lung clear as he spent most of the journey home coughing up blood in order to clear his lung.

It had worn down on everyone to say the least. Not to mention, the story about why 'Zuko' looked so much like Inko and of course why he had Toshinori's birthmark. Inko of course, had spent most of the time explaining to Hizashi and Shouta about everything that had happened. They were shocked to say the least.

Yet, Toshinori had to be treated right away when they had arrived back to the castle. He had lost a lot of blood, and Inko couldn't help but be worried about Toshinori. Thinking that he wasn't going to make it. She had stayed by his bedside while they started to treat him. Honestly, he still preferred to have Inko by his side during the procedure and she wasn't going to lie, she wanted to be there for him.

Holding onto his hand as she snuggled against his side trying to make sure that he knew that she was there. The young woman let out a soft sigh as she felt herself feel a little more comfortable with Toshinori at her side. He was a strong man, she knew that he would make it through this without any problem.

Which, was true, and for that she was thankful. Toshinori had managed to pull through but he would have a terrible scar on his side for the rest of his life. Yet, the scar itself, it reminded Inko of a sunflower, which suited him perfectly. Yet, the procedure itself had taken its toll on the king. He could still breathe fine on his own for the most part, but because he was no missing a lung due to the damage that Kira had caused, along with his coughing until they could get him help had ripped his lung beyond repair.

So, it would take his body some time to recover and adjust to only having one lung.

Letting out a soft sigh, Inko looked up at Toshinori's sleeping face and gave him a soft smile. He had been asleep since they started the surgery. They believed that it was best that the sleep quirk that had been used on him was best. He could heal better if he was asleep. Reaching up, the young woman gently traced her fingers along his cheek as she still felt the warmth of his skin.

He was still here, and he would always be there for her… right?

Closing her eyes, the young woman nuzzled a little more against Toshinori, just wanting to feel comfort and to give comfort in return.

It got to the point that even Usagi walked into the bedroom, having missed the two of them. Then of course, Tenko walked into the room wanting to be with Inko and Toshinori. He was scared when Inko had been kidnapped, and of course seeing Toshinori in such a state had only scared him all the more. Though, Inko had to tell him to be careful of Toshinori's side as the man was still recovering, he just wasn't going to wake up for a bit and anything that stimulated his mind may wake the poor man up.

"Inko?" came Tenko's small voice, causing her to look over at the little boy as he snuggled up against Toshinori's other side, being careful of his side. "Will Toshinori be okay?" asked the small boy.

"He'll be okay sweetie. Toshinori's a tough man, he was trained to endure pain remember?" Inko gave him a small smile, though knew that the man was still human after all. Even when he had gone out of his way to assure Tenko that he was okay, it had taken everything he had just to get out of bed.

"You sure?" he asked with that little voice of his. Seeming scared of what would happen should Toshinori die. Inko knew that he would be okay, after all Izuku was still here. He wasn't fading so there was a good chance that the man was going to make it through this.

Though Inko couldn't tell Tenko that, as he was a small boy and may not really understand that the masked guard had been from the future. Reaching over, she ran her fingers through Tenko's light blue hair as she gave him a small smile. "Everything will be okay Tenko, I'm sure of it. Toshinori won't leave us, he loves the both of us I know that for sure."

"He does?"

"Yes, in fact, he and I are going to get married and… I'm thinking that you could be our son if you want to be." Inko said with a soft smile on her face. Tenko just blinked his big eyes at her as tears seemed to go down her face. Inko knew that, Izuku had said that he became their son but still, it was best to still allow the flow of time to take its proper course.

"You want me?" Tenko said with a sniffle.

"Of course, you're a sweet boy. Toshinori and I already love you like our own." Inko said with a soft smile on her face.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Tenko smiled a little as he yawned and snuggled a little more against Toshinori. Inko couldn't help but smile at the scene, it was rather adorable, though she just hoped that Toshinori didn't mind that she had already gone on ahead and adopted Tenko. The only thing though that she was really concerned about was Toshinori's health in the long run.

They had said that Toshinori would live a long life, even without his lung but he still had a long road ahead of him until he recovered. Though she just hoped that he wouldn't end up leaving Izuku like he had before Izuku came back to stop it. Hm, to ensure that this timeline stays, she'll have to make sure that it keeps going… ugh, time travel was weird.

Yawning softly, the young woman drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Toshinori groaned a little as he opened his eyes. Everything hurt, his vision still blurry from sleep, mixed in with the pain. But, at the same time he felt rather warm and… content? Yeah, that sounded about right.

Looking over to his side, he couldn't help but smile as he saw Inko snuggled up against him. Sound asleep as well at that. She had a few dry tears on her cheeks, making him wonder how long she had cried herself to sleep. There was no way that she could have cried so much but, then again it was Inko. She would cry over anything, but it made him love her more for it. She worried over everyone and anyone really.

Turning his gaze, he saw that Tenko was there as well. The little boy must have been worried, he had been scared when Inko was gone. Frowning a little, he grunted as he lifted his hand and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. It seemed that the little boy had wanted to stay with the blonde king and Inko, most likely feeling comfort from the contact. He couldn't help but feel a little concerned over this boy.

Even though, Tenko wasn't his son he knew that the boy was rather important to himself and Inko. They hadn't known the boy for very long but Toshinori had already grown to love the boy as a son.

Sighing softly, he ruffled Tenko's hair a bit before turning his gaze back to Inko and gave her a soft smile. _'Had she stayed with me the whole time?'_ Toshinori thought to himself, not really sure if the woman had stayed with him just because it was something that he had requested. If he was honest, he had been scared of his injuries taking its toll on his body and killed him. Even though he was in pain, it was a sign that he was alive.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against Inko's as she had her head resting against his shoulder. How was it that he had someone as special as Inko in his life? Someone that was so full of life and love for him, among other people.

Feeling her hand move from the side of his blanket covered ribs until she wrapped her arm around his chest, causing him to shudder a little. The blanket didn't completely cover him, most likely from Tenko pulling at some of the blankets to keep himself warm during the cold night. Looking down at her, he couldn't help but sigh softly in content.

Even though her hand rested on his chest, and that it wasn't moving he could still feel the slight tingling from her touch. He knew that he would die if she moved around in her sleep. Nuzzling the top of her head, Toshinori couldn't help but wonder what it was that Inko was dreaming about. Most likely about their future no doubt. Though, he also knew that he would have to thank Izuku later, the boy had done a great job protecting Inko and himself, though this was assuming that the boy was still even here in the first place.

For all he knew, he could have gone home by now.

Shaking his head, Toshinori had a feeling that Izuku was still in the castle. After all, if he was anything like either himself or Inko, the boy wouldn't leave without a proper goodbye.

Looking down at his side, he saw that he had a rather large bandage around his torso, must have been when he was stabbed. He couldn't remember what they had done to him but he wondered why he felt rather content even while he looked at it. When before, he was rather terrified about the idea of getting surgery in the first place.

Though he knew that it was the only way to save his life, but… he still would prefer if Inko was there with him. Just to make him feel a little more comfortable.

His life was going to change, that was for sure. One thing that he knew was that his title would have to change. The Emotionless King, was no more. He wasn't going to hide his emotions anymore, he had the power to protect is family, his loved ones and friends. Nothing would change that, and when the time came where he would have to pass on his own quirk then so be it. He would never allow himself to hide his emotions but knew that it would take some time to adjust showing his emotions again but the end result would be worth it now wouldn't it?

Closing his eyes, the young man took a deep breath only for his breath to hitch. Eyes snapped open as he felt a strange alien sensation filling his lungs. But it didn't stop there, he felt it flowing up into his throat.

Without a second thought, Toshinori shot up and hacked into his hands painfully. Tears appeared at the edge of his eyes as he couched and felt something warm and sticky staining his hands. His shoulders trembled from the force of his coughing fit, he couldn't help but wonder if there was something else wrong with him.

"Toshi?" came Inko's voice, he knew that he must have woken her up with his coughing fit. What was going on? "Oh god Toshi!" Inko said, causing him to open his eyes as he turned his blue gaze onto her and saw that she had rushed off and grabbed a towel that was in a basin of water. "Are you-no of course you're not okay! You're coughing up blood!"

His eyes widened at that, causing him to pull his hands away from his mouth as he stared at the sight with wide eyes. How was this possible? Did they not fix his damaged lung? Was there something else wrong with him that they hadn't been able to fix right away. There had to be something more, and only Inko could tell him what was going on.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask more question, he felt his lungs hitch once again as he started to cough loudly into his hands, it was just as painful as last time.

"Toshinori?" came Tenko's worried voice.

"Tenko sweetie, go to your room okay? I'll tend to Toshinori for now."

Opening his blue eyes once again, Toshinori saw the worried eyes of Tenko. He saw that the boy was concerned for the blonde but he also knew that he had to do something to assure the boy. How though, he wasn't sure. If he was really coughing blood, then seeing a bloodied smile wasn't going to help anything, in fact it would only make it worse.

"I'll… be fine my boy." Toshinori managed to wheeze out.

Tenko frowned a little before nodding his head. "Go and see Izuku, check up on him. I bet he'd like that." Toshinori added, hoping that Tenko would like it as well, as a means to feel safe. Plus, Izuku was the only one that Tenko had felt comfortable with for the moment.

"Okay…" He whispered softly before crawling out of bed and left.

Tightly shutting his eyes, Toshinori felt another coughing fit hitting him hard. God, why wasn't this stopping? Shuddering a bit from pain, Toshinori blinked through the tears of pain as he looked up and saw Inko holding out a damp towel for him. Removing one of his bloodied hands, he accepted the towel and went to speak until Inko shook her head. She already knew that he would want some kind of explanation from this.

"They managed to do the procedure on you to save you." Inko began, causing Toshinori to blink at her as he wiped at his hands first. Trying to wipe at the blood that stained his hands.

He knew that there had to be something bad coming up. If they had managed to save his life, but he knew that there had to be some kind of draw back. Blinking his blue eyes, Toshinori couldn't help but gaze up at her, as if telling her to continue. "They couldn't save your lung though, because of the coughing and rough breathing your lung was torn too much to be saved." Inko explained as she let out a soft sigh.

Okay, so that explained the hitching breaths but not the blood.

"There was also more damage, so there will be times where your blood will fill your remaining lung and you'll need to um…"

Oh, so when that happens, his body decides to clear it out by coughing. Such as if there is too much mucus of flam within the lungs while sick the human body would cough it out in order to clear it. Once he was done cleaning his hands, he reached up and started to wipe the blood from his lips as he gazed at Inko, seeing as she looked a little uncomfortable. Maybe eve scared. He couldn't blame her for that, she had been through such an ordeal.

"Inko…"

"I was scared." Inko whispered, her body shook.

Toshinori frowned a little, giving her a soft look before he reached out toward her. Inko blinked as she stared at the man, when he wiggled his fingers. Inko just stared at him before sliding her hand into his before Toshinori pulled her to his side and held onto his future bride. "Inko, I'm sorry for scaring you like that."

"You were dead!" Inko sobbed out.

Toshinori frowned a little before he held her close to his side and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, I never wanted to scare you like that. To be honest, for a moment myself I thought that was I too was dead. I was in nothing but darkness until your voice brought me back."

"And you said that you had to play dead right?"

"Yes, after that, I tried to fight to stay awake. When she was about to attack you, I had to act then and there." He let out a soft sigh as he nuzzled against Inko's head with his cheek. Gazing at her with a deep sadness. "I will not lie, for years I had wanted revenge to kill the shadow that took my family, but… during that fight. I was more concerned about you."

Inko looked up at Toshinori with a frown on her face. "At the time, the only thing that came to me was to protect you. To save you, and everyone else. I didn't think of revenge in the last moment, I knew that if I did, I would never forgive myself."

Inko sniffled a little as she held onto Toshinori. His body shuddered from the contact. God, he'd have to control himself from all of this touching. He knew that this was going to be rather hard for him but he just hoped that he could control himself around her. Tightly shutting his eyes, Toshinori felt more blood coming up his throat. Quickly pulling himself away from her, Toshinori held the cloth to his face as he coughed, it wasn't as painful this time around and for that he was thankful.

"Toshi?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

Shuddering, Toshinori looked over at Inko and gave her a weak smile. "So, I'm missing one lung now eh?" He tried to make it sound funny, though failed at doing so. Inko held onto him, he shuddered from a mixture of pleasure and pain from Inko's hand graving his injury. "Careful." He whispered softly.

"It's my fault that you lost it."

"Inko."

"No! You almost _died_ because of me! The kingdom almost lost their king! Izuku was almost never born to have stopped anything that was happening! We almost lost our future together!" Inko all but shouted at the blonde, her own pain and suffering coming to the surface. Burying her face against his chest as she cried out all of the pain that was flowing through her heart to her very soul.

Toshinori just wrapped his arms around her before kissing her forehead. Inko looked up at him, her tears still rolling down her cheeks. He couldn't help but feel his heart clench at the sight, but he knew that he had to say this. "Inko, losing a lung is one thing that I can afford to lose." He whispered softly, leaning closer to the green haired woman as he let out a soft sigh. "But, to lose you is something that I could never allow myself to lose." He kissed her tears away before placing his forehead against hers. "I can handle losing my kingdom, I can handle losing what fortune that I have in my name but what I can't lose, is you, the boys or my friends. All of you mean the world to me and I would gladly throw my life away or put it on the line just to keep you all safe."

Inko sniffled as she cried out more. He knew that those were things that she didn't want to hear, but at the same time she needed to hear them. It was out of his desire to keep her safe that made him want to say such things to her. He knew that it was going to be a long road to recover from such a fight, but the only thing that mattered to him was that they were all safe and sound. "Inko, I love you… and I will never, ever leave you so long as I have strength in my body. You are my heart, my whole world and without you I am nothing but a shell of a man who once knew what true love was."

The young woman couldn't help but gaze at Toshinori as more tears rolled down her face. "I never want to lose that feeling Inko, as long as you are alive, I'll always know what it is. To love, to have true love and to have it in return. Nothing will change that, but think of it as this." Toshinori whispered as he gazed lovingly into her eyes. "We can live our lives together, we can be happy together to raise our boys, to get married and have Izuku like it is meant to be and be happy forever."

Inko just looked up at Toshinori as she whispered "I love you Toshinori, I want to keep you happy and safe."

"You do, by being your usual fun loving self my dear." Toshinori whispered as he kissed her. He knew that their lives were going to be a struggle, but he knew that this was the only way that they could live their lives. He would make sure that no matter what, he would do whatever he could to keep his family safe. No matter if it be their bodies or their hearts, he would keep them safe.


	23. Emotionless King No More

It had been a few months since the battle, Toshinori had for the most part recovered. Though he still coughed up blood once in a while, mostly when he was in some kind of shock or surprise. Sometimes it would just happen out of the blue. Though, Toshinori knew that it was to happen and had come to terms with it. He knew that he had to live his life to the fullest still.

During that time, Toshinori decided he couldn't wait to marry Inko anymore and gave her his mother's ring, part of a matching set with his father's.

The wedding itself wasn't overly fancy and honestly, neither of them cared. The only thing that mattered to them was that they were now husband and wife. Though there was the odd person here and there whom was still against the idea of Toshinori marrying a slave but again, he didn't give a damn. The only thing that mattered to him was that he married the woman he loved more than anything. Nothing would change that.

Though he also things it is because a lot of people are against that he had already went on with his process with removing slavery while he was recovering. Even though Inko had insisted that he just rest and deal with it much later.

He didn't want to wait though, the only thing that he wanted to do was to help the slaves. He knew that those who weren't in his castle, were treated horribly. That much was for sure, and he wanted to make sure that nothing else ever happened to another slave again. He just hoped that after the process was done, that no one else ever dealt with such a thing ever again.

Yet, it had been rather difficult to focus on such a thing as Inko would try to… ahem, distract him. It would work but otherwise when she wasn't looking or paying attention to him for that matter, Toshinori would get back to work. It wasn't like he was training other guards this time around, he was just sitting in bed pretty much waiting for his injuries to heal properly.

What worried him otherwise, was Inko getting used to the idea that she was a queen now. That was something that had worried him, yes she wasn't raised as a royal princess or anything even close to it. But, people started to love her because of her kindness. Because of her compassion for others and that was what really won everyone over really.

Toshinori had assigned Shouta to keep Inko safe should he have any reason to leave. Which wasn't very often anymore since all the people who had quirks weren't going missing anymore. In fact, it seemed that they had been right, that Princess Kira, even with her confession, had been kidnapping people and stealing their quirks. Much like her father, and now they had nothing to worry about.

No one would ever go missing again, no one would ever have their quirks stolen again. Now, he just had to hope that something like this would never happen again.

Yet, he just wished that it hadn't ended like it had. Yes, she was evil and had killed many people in her life, but she was still a human being. He'd never admit to it, but a part of his soul, or at the very least he had felt like a chip of his soul had disappeared. A sliver of his soul really. It was a feeling that he hated, as he never wanted to kill anyone in his life. Not so long as he could help it anyway.

As for Tenko, he was adjusting well in the palace. Toshinori and Inko had happily accepted Tenko as their son, and he had accepted them as his parents without any trouble. Though, the boy would still have a little fear of losing them but knew that they were tough. They had gone through so much, only a weak willed mind would have shattered, as would their spirit. Toshinori and Inko though, well their spirits were far too strong to have shattered under such issues.

But, it didn't leave a scar on Inko that was for sure.

Even now, she would have a nightmare about losing Toshinori in the final battle. Thinking that he hadn't woken up, that he had indeed died. That she had lost him forever and would never get him back. She would wake up in a cold sweat and grab onto Toshinori, thinking that he was dead. That she had really just watched him get stabbed, watched as his life's blood left his body as did his spirit.

He would assure her, each and every time. No matter how late he had stayed up with his duties, he would always tell her that he was okay. Wrapping her in his strong arms and just hold her until she calmed down enough for them both to go back to sleep. Toshinori knew that she needed it as much as he would, just to know that everything was better now. That no matter what, nothing would ever try to separate them ever again. No matter what happened, everything would be the way it should be.

Though, the only down side was when he would be exhausted during meetings to the point that he was falling asleep at his desk. Many people would ask him what had happened and he would just say that his son had woken up in the night and want to be cuddled or at the very least, wanted to be held because he had a nightmare.

They believed that.

There was no way that he was going to tell them that it was his wife that had woken him up and needed to be comforted. He figured it was something that Inko would want to keep to herself for the time being, or forever. Whichever came first really and he wasn't going to just blab to the other royals that his wife needed comforting because of a nightmare.

They could never understand the pain that she had to go through just for peace. After all, Toshinori had almost died, had he not moved even the slightest bit and the hit would have made contact with his heart.

"Toshi?" came Inko's voice, causing him to lift his gaze up and blink his blue eyes at her. Inko was dressed in the finest of silks out of purples and greens, a simple golden crown rested atop of her head. To him, he never knew that she could have gotten more beautiful.

"Yes my dear?" Toshinori said with a smile on his face. Yeah, it was official, he was a sucker in love. And it was all thanks to this little green haired woman. She was the reason for his smiles, a reason why he would never allow himself to hide behind that emotionless mask of his anymore.

"We need to go. Izuku said that he was getting ready to return to his time." Right, the boy would have to return to his own time soon. It was something that Toshinori and Inko were afraid to face. But, they knew that he didn't belong here. That he had a home of his own to return too. A family to return too and it was still them but it was still a feeling that they had been dreading for a while.

Izuku, even though he hadn't been in their lives for very long, it still had the two of them sad to see him go. Yet, he would come to them someday. When Inko would have their child, they would have their son Izuku. A feeling that they knew would bring the both of them joy, knowing that their son would grow up into such a fine young man.

"Right." He whispered before pushing himself up and made his way around his desk and toward his wife. Giving her a small smile, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled the woman close, capturing her soft pink lips with his own. "I love you Inko." Toshinori whispered to her softly.

"I love you too." Inko said with a soft smile, only to frown as she looked over at his side and frowned a little. Tears in her eyes as she gently rubbed her finger tips against his chest, right over his injury. "Does it still hurt?" Inko asked softly.

"Not as bad as it once did no. It only hurts if I lean on it or if something presses into it too roughly. I'll be okay, I promise." Toshinori whispered gently, not wanting to concern her even more, he knelt down in front of her, gently grasping her face between his hands as he gave her a small smile. "Inko, I promise you. I'm okay, I am adjusting fine to only having one lung but think of it this way, I'm still alive." He kissed her forehead before giving her a gentle look.

"I know but… I just wished that it hadn't cost you your lung… or to cough up blood." Inko looked like she was about to cry. He shook his head at her, Inko looked like she wanted to object some more but he just kissed her gently. Inko blushed as she kissed him back. At least he knew that he still held some kind of power over her, though he wasn't sure if she would ever fully forgive herself for everything that had happened.

But, he would help her through every single trial that would break her heart when it came to his injuries. "Come, our son has to go home." Toshinori said with a soft smile before kissing her forehead once again and held her to his side. "Come, let's go shall we?" Inko couldn't help but nod her head at Toshinori as she walked with her husband to the courtyard.

It was rather hard for them to do this, and even harder to see that Izuku would have to fade away in front of them. But, it was the way it had to be. Izuku was to return, and in a couple years' time, he would be born and they could feel complete again with Tenko as well. Yet, there was one other thing that had the two of them worried.

If they didn't train their son in order to fight, and he himself didn't go back in time then there was a chance that their future would go dark, or in another chance or even another course of time, their past would be dark.

They would have to train their future child to go back in time to make sure that their future was always peaceful. It was a lot to put on the poor boy's shoulders before he was even born, but it was either that, or have him grow up without either of them.

Sighing softly, the young man looked up at the ceiling in deep thought. Yes, the future was still a ways away, but Toshinori knew that he already had to train his boys should the time come that they would need to defend themselves or even the future of this kingdom. He didn't want them to go through the same thing that he had to go through.

It was a feeling that he never wanted his boys to go through ever.

"We're here Toshi." Inko said with a soft sigh.

Blinking his eyes, Toshinori saw that they had indeed arrived to the courtyard. There stood Izuku with his bag with him and no mask this time around. Izuku looked over at his parents and gave them a big smile that rivaled Toshinori's. "Hey, I was wondering if you two were going to show." He chuckled a little before turning to stare at them both, a small yet sad smile on his face. "It was nice coming here, meeting you both before you got married. It was, rather interesting to see dad fumbling so much with his feelings."

"Hey!"

Inko giggled through.

"Honestly, when I came back here I thought that I wouldn't be able to save you both, I was scared that I would somehow fail and… I'm happy I didn't." He chuckled a little and sighed softly in content. Giving both of his parents a happy smile, he chuckled as he said "I love you both."

Toshinori and Inko rushed forward and wrapped their arms around Izuku. Inko of course cried and Toshinori just chuckled a little. "I'm proud of you son." Toshinori said, which only made Izuku ball his eyes out. Yup, so much like his mother.

* * *

Izuku sighed softly as he returned to his home. A part of him was scared to see if the world was still surrounded by darkness. That his mother and father were still long gone and he hadn't been able to do anything about it. That he had somehow failed his family even though he had been able to prevent his mother's weakened state and his father's more serious injury.

The missing lung was only part of what could have happened. Before, his father had lost his lung, his stomach and of course his breathing was all but shot. It was amazing that he had lived as long as he had but, Izuku was just happy to know that his father was still able to live until his body gave out on him.

Walking through the field, the young man looked up and blinked as he looked up and couldn't help but stare in shock. The castle, it was as it was when he left the past. It looked as if it was never destroyed!

Rushing up to the castle gates, he saw that a few guards stood outside and just looked at Izuku before bowing to him. He had no idea what was going on but at the moment he didn't care. He knew that he just had to keep moving forward. Had to keep moving and see if they were indeed still alive. _'Mom! Dad! Tenko!'_ thought Izuku as he pushed himself to run even faster.

In fact, it was getting to the point that he was running through the halls at blinding speed that people only saw a blur of green as he all but seemed to zip by. He was making his way to the throne room, hoping to see his parents there. Yet he saw nothing.

"Damn it, what can I do?" asked Izuku before he ran out of the throne room, wondering where his parents could be. Maybe they were in the study? Sometimes his mother went there so that had to be something right? Yeah, that could be a location for his family and even if it was just his father then that would mean that he had at the very least prevented his father's death and if that was the case then there was a chance that he had stopped his mother's as well.

That had to be the case, they were just in a different room is all.

The moment he reached his father's study, he opened the doors and the sight was enough to make him cry in relief. There, sat his father going over some paper work. Toshinori's hair was a little paler, not by much and he had some wrinkles around his eyes but again not as much as before. Inko sat on his lap, just looking over the work that her husband was doing and she had a bright smile on her face. Her hair, long and pulled back much like it was before though she had gained some weight since he had seen her in the past.

But he didn't care. His mother was alive, as was his father. "Mom? Dad?" Izuku said with wide teary eyes.

Inko looked up as did Toshinori. Both of them smiled at their son before getting up from the chair. "You came back from the past Izuku?" asked Inko.

"Or should we say Zuko?" Toshinori said with a chuckle as they both made their way over to their son and hugged him. Izuku couldn't help but cry in relief. He did manage to save them. He had managed to save his parents from a terrible fate. "You did very well my son, you managed to keep the past from turning into a dark fate." Toshinori said with a soft smile before he frowned a little. It seemed that his parents really did keep the same memories of their past selves. "I'm sorry that we had to keep training you in order to prevent the past from becoming what it should have been before your preventing it."

"It's fine dad, really! I'd rather have you both in my life than without." Izuku said with a chuckle, wiping at his eyes as the tears just didn't seem to want to stop in the first place.

"Hey mom, dad… has Izuku come in here? The guards said that they had seen- Izuku!" Tenko said with relief before rushing to his brother and pulled the green haired young man out of their parent's arms and hugged his brother before ruffling his curly green locks. "About time you came back! I know it was only a day here but it felt like years." Chuckled Tenko. The man still looked the same as he had as a child, just taller and longer hair. It got to the point that his hair almost hung over his red eyes though Izuku knew that he couldn't change it.

"Well, our past is set, and we can rest easily now. We can live in peace at long last my boys, let's go eat shall we?"

"Sure dad, but you have to tell us the story of how you and mom met." Chuckled Tenko with a spark in his eyes.

"My boys, you've heard it so many times." Toshinori said with a chuckle.

"I have, but this Izuku hasn't."

"So right, let's start shall we?" asked Toshinori.

"Wait dad, I have to know one thing, do you still go by… The Emotionless King?" asked Izuku with a frown on his face.

Toshinori blinked as he looked at his youngest son and had a soft smile on his face. It seemed that the blonde knew that Izuku wouldn't have known about his name change. He chuckled a little before reaching over and ruffled his son's curly green locks as he said "No, I have given up that title after the battle… I go by 'The Sunflower King'. Now, where was I? Ah yes, I was going to start the story of how I met your mother!"

Izuku couldn't help but smile and laugh. He finally had the life that he always wanted.

 **The End**


End file.
